Dark Wolves and Vampire Delights
by beckybrit
Summary: When Charlie is supposedly killed by a wild animal, Bella returns for the funeral and is met with a less than warm reception. She discovers Forks is no longer the safe, sleepy town  she left behind 6 years ago and is now full of secrets and danger.
1. Chapter 1

**An Unwelcome Return**

BPOV

I gently closed the door as the the last of Charlie's friends made their way down the front steps. Leaning against the wall for support, I took a deep breath and let my mind wander over the days events. It was a beautiful service, closed casket of course considering the way he died, but still beautiful. The church was full to the brim with friends and colleagues, all wanting to pay their last respects.

I'd sat alone at the front, not knowing anyone well enough to socialize with or feeling like making polite conversation. Charlie had been the police chief of Forks, Washington and had lived here all his life. I used to know most of these people who now felt like strangers. I left for college six years ago and I had only been back to visit twice. Charlie used to come and stay with me in Seattle, I think he liked to escape for a bit too.

Several of his fellow officers had stood up to talk about his heroism and commitment to the people of Forks. I'd barely listened, instead remembering him as the father I loved dearly. All of our fishing trips together, which I truly hated but went along anyway just to spend time with him. The way we could both sit in together in silence, but be so comfortable just with our own thoughts. We were so much alike in so many ways. I loved him and I fucking missed him.

I wiped away the tears that had started to fall and pushed myself off the wall. I made my way round Charlie's house, where I'd had his wake, picking up plates and glasses as I went. With everyone now gone, the house felt empty and cold. I shivered a little and took thedishes I'd collected into the kitchen, dumping them unceremoniously into the sink. They could wait til later, everything could wait til later. I just wanted to curl up in my old bed and pretend this shitty day had never fucking happened.

-oxo-

As I lay, snuggled up under my quilt, dressed in one of Charlie's old police t-shirts, my mind was drawn back to the last time he came to visit me, two weeks ago today. He was pleased to see me as always, but I could tell something was off. He looked as if he was permanently on the verge of telling me something, but never quite got there. I figured he'd eventually tell me in his own good time so I hadn't pushed him, I guess now I'll never know. I buried my face in my pillow as a loud sob escaped me. He was gone, fucking gone and I never got to say goodbye! I didn't even get to see his body as it was too badly damaged.

_What the fuck happened to him! _

A wild animal they told me, out on his own in the woods, died before anyone found him. See, that's the bit I don't understand. He was the chief of police for fuck's sake, he knew better than to wander out into the woods alone, especially without letting people know where he was going. I'd tried asking questions at the station, but they were all tight lipped. All quick to offer their condolences, but not willing to discuss the case. I guess I was considered just another outsider after 6 long years away.

I roughly wiped my eyes on the sleeves of Charlies t-shirt and closed them tight. I needed to sleep, I was exhausted from the events of the last few days. Sleep came surprisingly quickly and for a few hours I was able to forget, at least until morning came anyway.

-oxo-

_Bang! Bang! _

Was that the door? My sleep filled brain registered the noise, but I couldn't be bothered to investigate, was it morning already? I muttered a few curse words, rolled over and tried to ignored it.

_Bang! Bang!_

I pulled the quilt over my head.

_Bang! Bang! Bang!_

Ugh! Who the fuck _was _that!

Whoever had been banging on my door for the last five minutes, was really starting to piss me off! I mean seriously, do they not get the message that I don't want any fucking visitors this morning?

"Isabella Marie Swan! I know you're in there. Get your sweet ass down here and open this door or so help me..."

_Oh fuck! _

_Alice._

Alice is my best friend and housemate back in Seattle. I met her during our college years and we've been inseparable ever since. She's been away on business for the past two weeks, working as a buyer for one of the big Seattle department stores.

I'd totally forgotten that she was arriving today, with the funeral and wake occupying all my time yesterday it had completely slipped my mind. I jumped out of bed and raced down the stairs, my coordination not letting me down for once. I hastily unlocked the door and pulled it open, revealing a fuming Alice with fist poised ready to start banging again.

I must have looked awful because she took one look at me and her face softened. I guess my eyes were red from crying, I hadn't slept well for days and had cried plenty.

"Oh Bella, come here." She pulled me into her arms and began rubbing my back, I felt so much better with Alice here, a friendly face at last. The relief washed over me and I felt the tears start again.

"Fuck." I sniffed.

Alice leaned back to see my face, when she saw my tears she quickly ushered me inside and closed the door.

"Bella, I'm so sorry I couldn't make it to the funeral. My flight was delayed, then I missed my connecting one. It was a fucking nightmare. I'm so sorry, honey." She wiped away my tears with her thumbs as we sat down on Charlie's old blue sofa.

"It's OK Alice, really. I'm just so fucking happy you are here." I got all emotional again. "Let's just say the reception here has been a little less welcoming than I'd expected." I relaxed against the back of the sofa and rubbed my eyes.

"Did everything go OK yesterday?" Alice asked quietly. She leaned back too and rested her head on my shoulder.

"Yeah, it was fine, well you know, considering..." It went as well as expected for a funeral, I guess.

"Did someone say something to you?"

"I don't know Alice. It just seems fucking wrong that he died like this, he knew better. You knew him, he would never have been so careless." I hopped off the sofa and began pacing across the small living room.

"I went to the station and tried asking about the _accident_, said I wanted to see where it happened, but they wouldn't tell me anything. They wouldn't even let me see his fucking body! I lived here til I was eighteen and I am his daughter, for fuck's sake! I know I've been gone for six years, but that should still mean something, right? " I stopped pacing and looked over to Alice expectantly, as if she held the answers to all my questions.

"What are you going to do now? You know I'll stay as long as you want, don't you?" I managed a small smile, thank fuck for Alice. She was my best friend and I really needed her about now.

"Yeah. I do. Thanks Alice." I let out a big sigh and joined her on the sofa again.

"I've got at least the next four weeks off to sort everything out here. So I guess we could get started on that today."

"That's not really what I meant, Bella." She said, turning to face me. "Are you going to keep digging into Charlie's death?"

"I don't know what else I can do, Al. I've asked at the station and got the brush off, what else can I do? I know its not right that he died this way and I am beyond pissed that there was no investigation, but he's dead. Nothing I find out will change that fact. I feel like I should just wrap things up as quickly as possible and get the hell out of here. Its definitely not the same Forks I grew up in, that's for sure." I rubbed my fingers over my forehead, feeling the early signs of a headache coming on.

"I know you Bella, you won't be happy until you get at least some answers to your questions" She gave me a pointed look. Of course I wouldn't be able to fool Alice, she knew me better that I knew myself sometimes.

"I suggest you get dressed, then show me around town and introduce me to all of your old friends. Maybe they can shed some light on things." She raised her eyebrow at me and despite the gravity of the conversation only minutes ago, I barked out a laugh. "_Friends_. Well, that won't take long at all, now will it!"

"That's more like it. Now go and get dressed." She gave me a little shove and wrinkled her nose, "and ugh.. maybe shower too." I climbed back up the stairs feeling ten times better than I did when I woke up this morning.

I grabbed a couple of towels from the linen cupboard and headed for the shower. I turned the water on, shedding my clothes as it heated up, and stepped in. The hot water felt amazing against my tired body. I turned face into the spray, washing all my dried tears away down the drain. I needed to pull myself together. Alice was right, I realized, there was no way I could leave here without getting a few answers. Someone must know what Charlie was up to, it's a small town, not much goes by unnoticed. I had a nagging feeling that it had to do with whatever he was trying to tell me two weeks ago. I finished up in the shower, dressed quickly and hurried down the stairs to find Alice. I hadn't been overly long, but she wasn't known for her patience.

She wasn't in the living room, so I carried on through into the kitchen. I couldn't help but smile at the scene that greeted me there. _Alice, you __are a_ _fucking star!_

She'd cleaned up the kitchen and washed all of the dishes I'd left in the sink yesterday. Something else I'd totally forgotten about.

"Thanks Alice, you didn't have.." I started, but she interrupted me, smiling softly.

"Sshh! I want to help Bella. It's why I'm here." I rushed over and gave her a big hug, fighting to keep back the tears that were threatening to spill over. I didn't want to cry any more, I wanted the truth. As Alice and I grabbed our things and headed out to my truck, I resolved to find out what really happened to Charlie, even if it killed me.

**a/n Please review and let me know whether you love it or hate it!**


	2. Chapter 2

**a/n** S**ince I forgot last week, big hugs and kisses for my pre-reader GemmaH who holds my hand and tells me it will all be ok! And to my beta tigerlilylace, who managed to beta this chapter even though she was super busy! Thanks girls. Xx**

**Friends**

**BPOV**

The drive into town was relatively quick and uneventful. Alice and I had decided to stop for lunch before we did anything else. I pulled up at the diner and turned off the engine, unable to get out of the car. I used to come here all the time with Charlie, I had so many fond memories of this place that the thought of going in there without him made my heart ache. As I sat there willing myself not to cry, I felt Alice's small hand squeeze my own.

"It'll be OK Bella. I'll be with you. Who knows, maybe someone in here has some information, you know how small town people like to gossip." She was right, that's what we were here for after all. I took a deep breath in and blew it out slowly.

"Thanks Al," I gave her a reassuring smile, letting her know I was OK. "Let's get this over with." We got out the car and headed into the diner.

The bell chimed as we came in through the door, announcing our arrival to everyone inside. It reminded me of a scene out of a movie, where the strangers in town enter the bar and everyone stops talking to turn and stare at them. It was exactly like that. Silence settled over the diner, followed by hushed whispers. I stood there awkwardly next to Alice, trying to remember why I thought this was such a good idea. We were saved finally by a voice I recognized.

"Bella?" Angela Weber rushed over to us, wiping her hands on her apron. She and I had been best friends in high school, but had lost touch when we both left for different colleges. Her Mom and Dad used to own the diner when I lived here, looks like they still did.

"Hello, Angela."

"Oh my God! I thought it was you." She wrapped her arms around me in a tight hug and whispered in my ear, "I'm so sorry about your dad, Bella. It's good to see you, I just wish it was under better circumstances."

"Thanks Ang. Its good to see you, too" I stepped back so I could introduce her to Alice. After they'd said their hello's, Angela led us both over to a booth in the corner, the noise level in the diner gradually returned to normal as people realized nothing interesting was going to happen. I patted the seat next to me, hoping Angela would take the hint and sit with us for a bit. She scooted into the booth and whipped out her order pad.

"I might as well look like I am working." she said when I raised an eyebrow at her pad.

"What are you doing back here, Ang? I thought you lived in New York now?" Although we hadn't really kept in touch, I knew she'd stayed on after graduating. God only knew what she was doing back here.

"Oh, I'm just helping out for a bit while mom gets back on her feet, she's been ill recently."

"I'm sorry to hear that! Is there anything I can do?" I asked, placing my hand on her arm.

"No, but thanks anyway. She's much better now. I'm probably only needed here for another week. I'd love to catch up with you when I'm not working Bella." I agreed, and quickly jotted down my number on her pad. After taking our orders for breakfast and coffees, she stood up to go. I suddenly remembered our initial reason for coming in here.

"Ang," I almost whispered, not wanting to be overheard. She sat back down and leaned towards me.

"Do you know anything about what happened to Charlie? They won't tell me anything at the station, not even where it happened. I know word gets around, do you have any idea why he was even out there alone?"

She let out a sigh and shook her head.

"I'm sorry Bella, I've only been back a couple of weeks. Charlie came in a few times, but he always sat alone, with his head stuck in paperwork." She started to get up again and turned to me before leaving the booth.

"I'll have a word with my Mom and Dad, I'll call you if they know anything, OK?" I nodded my thanks and she made her way back towards the kitchen. Alice and I sat in silence for a minute, mulling over what Angela had said. I had no idea if it was odd or not for Charlie to bring his work here with him, the thought made me feel incredibly guilty. I should have visited more often, then I wouldn't need to ask other people what my own father had been up to.

As if Alice sensed my mood she grabbed my hands, willing me too look at her.

"Bella. You know Charlie loved coming to see you in Seattle. I think he liked getting out of here for a while. He never once asked you to come visit him this past year, maybe there's a reason for that. He loved you and he knew how much you loved him." She gave my hands a final squeeze and returned hers to her lap. Alice always knew how I was feeling and exactly the right thing to say.

Angela brought out our breakfast and we ate, pausing every now and then to discuss our next move. Alice was all for going back to the police station and demanding some answers. I managed to persuade her to leave it for a day or two, I wasn't ready to go back in there so soon after the funeral. Besides, I didn't think they'd be any more forth coming than the last time I was there.

We paid our bill amidst promises of meeting Angela for lunch in the next couple of days. It had been really good seeing her again and I wasn't about to let our friendship slip away a second time. I followed Alice to my truck, fishing my keys out of my bag. I heard a car door slam off to my left and instinctively looked round, the sight that met me was a shock to say the least.

"Jacob Black?" I gasped. "What the fuck happened to you?" He was the son of my dad's oldest friend, Billy Black and lived on the La Push Reservation. Jacob was sixteen when I left , and though we didn't hang out that much after I had started high school, we had been close as children. The Jacob before me must have been six feet four inches of solid muscle! I certainly did not remember him looking like that!"

If I didn't think of him as family, all be it distant family, I would have said he was hot as fuck. He looked over to me and a smile spread slowly across his tanned face.

"Bella Swan. Its been a while." He started walking towards us and I heard Alice mutter under her breath, quiet enough for only me to hear.

"I thought you said you didn't get a very welcoming reception? He looks like he would give you a mighty fine welcome!" She looked up and winked at me.

"Alice!" I hissed, much to her amusement. When he stopped in front of us, smiling down at me, I realized that neither he nor Billy had come to Charlie's funeral, which was odd to say the least. I had been so focused on my grief yesterday that I'd not noticed their absence.

"You and Billy didn't come to the funeral? Why?" I asked him. The smile immediately disappeared from his face and a dark look I didn't recognize flashed across his eyes. He looked anywhere but at me as he seemed to deliberate his answer. When he finally looked me in the eye, the easy going Jacob from only minutes before was gone, replaced by a cold looking stranger. Alice edged closer to me, as if sensing the change in him.

"Its a difficult time on the Res right now Bella. My dad's not well and it just wasn't possible to come to the funeral." He seemed to have trouble getting the words out, as if they tasted nasty on his tongue. He closed his eyes and rubbed his hand on the back of his neck, sighing loudly, when he looked back at me I could see some of the warmth had returned to his features.

"Look Bella, I'm really sorry about Charlie, and about not making the funeral. Billy was his best friend for fucks sake, he was devastated to not be there." He said those words with such sincerity that I couldn't help but think he meant everyone of them, and that whatever kept them from the funeral must have been fucking serious.

"Well, why don't I come by your house sometime this week, it would be lovely to catch up with Billy again." It really would, it had been far too long since I'd seen him considering he'd been like a second father to me at times. Yet another relationship I'd let slide.

"I don't think that will be possible Bella." Jake replied, shifting nervously and toeing the ground with his boot. "Like I said, it's a difficult time at the moment."

"Oh, OK." There was definitely something not right, but it wasn't really any of my business so I let it go, for now.

"Why don't you give me your number, then I can call you if things change." That seemed like a reasonable idea so I fished in my bag for a pen and paper. Jacob already had his phone out though so I just told him my number and watched as he entered it into his phone. As he flipped it closed his head suddenly snapped round in the direction of an incoming car.

"Shit!" He cursed. "I have to go. It was good to see you Bella. Really good." He reached his hand up and stroked my cheek tenderly then withdrew it so quickly I thought I'd imagined it. He turned on his heel and was gone without another word. Alice and I watched with rapt fascination as he met the occupants of the incoming car when they started to climb out. There were four of them and they were all huge, just like Jake. What the hell were they feeding those boys down at the Res! From where we stood it looked like Jake and the driver of the car were having a somewhat heated discussion, unfortunately we were too far away to hear what was being said. When they both looked over in our direction I decided that we should probably move, the driver looked a little pissed and I didn't want to get involved in whatever that was.

"Come on Alice," I said grabbing her elbow as I turned back to my truck. "Let's go. I don't like the looks of Jake's friends." Thankfully, Alice followed with no resistance, climbing hastily inside as I unlocked the doors. We fastened our seat belts and I noticed her grinning out the corner of my eye.

"What?" I said, a little snippier than I'd intended but I still felt a little edgy .

"Well," she replied, still grinning like a Cheshire cat. "I was just thinking that for someone who supposedly had no friends in Forks, you seem to be giving out your phone number like candy on Halloween!"

"I gave it out twice! That's hardly a lot." I whined.

"Yes, but that was in the space of only two hours, Bella. We have the rest of the afternoon to go yet!" She said, waggling her eyebrows in a very un-Alice like fashion. She looked so ridiculous I couldn't help but laugh.

"Whatever, Alice. Where to next?"

-oxo-

We decided that since both Alice and I would be staying here for the next two weeks at least, we should probably stock up on supplies. Charlie had never been big on cooking and his cupboards were virtually bare. I pulled into the parking lot of the grocery store and we spent a few minutes compiling a list of everything we might need, this involved Alice rolling her eyes at my choice of breakfast cereal.

"Lucky charms?" She asked in a disbelieving voice. "Really? What are you, twelve?"

"You can change anything else on the list Alice, but the Lucky Charms are staying!" I told her, refusing to be swayed on this. They were my guilty pleasure, my comfort food. I figured I'd be eating a lot of them over the next few days. She reluctantly agreed, muttering under her breath about their lack of nutritional value as we got out of the truck.

On our way to the entrance we passed by a sleek, new looking silver Volvo. Alice gave it an appreciative glance and turned to speak to me, I already knew what she was going to say, so I beat her to it.

"Yes, Alice. Next time we can bring your car." She squealed a little and gave me a quick hug.

"Thanks Bella. I know you love that thing you drive, but I'm getting muscle strain from climbing in and out. Besides, I miss my baby." Alice drove a bright yellow Porsche 911, it was an older model but still her pride and joy. I loved riding in it too, it just made me giggle seeing her tiny frame clambering in and out of my truck.

Once inside the store we grabbed a shopping cart and started going through our list, I pushed the cart while Alice collected the items. We were half way through the list when Alice suddenly grabbed my arm, stopping me from going any further down the aisle.

"Oh my God! Bella" She whispered in my ear. "I think I'm in love! Have you seen that guy down at the checkout, look at his ass!" Alice pretended to fan herself with her hands. "He is so fucking hot."

I looked down the aisle in the direction of the checkout, there were two possible boys, or I should say men, that Alice could be talking about. I really hoped it was the blond because I quite liked the look of the bronze haired one.

"Alice," I whispered back. "Which one do you think is hot?" She turned to look at me, smirking slightly.

"The beautiful blonde one, of course. Why Bella?" She narrowed her eyes, searching my face. I knew she would see she straight through me. "Do you like Mr Bronze hair over there?" I felt the telltale blush creep over my cheeks. Damn! Well there's no denying it now. The two in questioned looked up as if they'd heard us, which was impossible, I knew I should look away but I could only continue to stare. He was beautiful, they both were. I heard Alice gasp beside me, so I'm pretty sure she thought the same.

They paid for whatever they'd bought, looked back in our direction once more and headed out of the store. I know I was probably mistaken, but I swear they were smirking at us. Had we been that obvious in our ogling? Why yes, I believe we had.

Alice grabbed my arm, almost vibrating with excitement.

"I'm in love! I'm in love!" She all but sang in my ear.

"Really Alice? You saw him for all of two seconds! You didn't even speak to him!" I loved Alice like a sister, but she fell headfirst into all her relationships, thinking each time that he was 'the one'.

She turned to look at me, suddenly turning serious.

"I know all that Bella, but I just had this intense feeling when he looked at me. I can't explain it."

"Well I can." I grinned at her. "Its called lust, Alice. Those guys were so fucking hot, even I had intense feelings."

"I'm serious, Bella. This just feels different." She let go of my arm and looked at the shopping list in my hand. This was her way of asking me to drop it, so I decided to let it go.

We finished off the rest of our shopping without any further excitement and headed home. It'd been a fairly busy day and just what I needed to keep my mind occupied. Unfortunately, the sight of Charlie's empty chair in the living room was a harsh reminder of why I was here. I was still stood staring at his chair when Alice came in.

"Come on," she says softly, rubbing her hands up and down my arms. "I know just what you need."

Twenty minutes later we were snuggled on the couch eating Ben & Jerry's and watching Pirates of the Caribbean. There's nothing like ice cream and Johnny Depp to cheer a girl up. Well, take the edge off anyway.

-oxo-

We were both up bright and early the next morning, eager to get out and do some more digging. With a little coercing from Alice, I'd agreed to try the station again. So that was where we were headed first, in Alice's Porsche as promised.

She screeched to a stop outside the police station and I carefully removed my fingers from their death grip on the seat. Alice liked to drive fast.

"It wasn't that bad Bella!" Alice said, rolling her eyes at me. I huffed and climbed out the car.

I wasn't keen on going back into the station after my lack of success last time, but I had Alice with me now and she was a force to be reckoned with. She took my hand, gave it a small, reassuring squeeze and led me inside.

-oxo-

Two very long hours later, we were done. I held the door open for Alice and we stood for a moment to breathe in the fresh air once we were outside. It had been stale and stuffy inside the police station and that was being kind.

"I can't believe that you got them to give up all that information!" I looked at Alice in awe, she had managed to not only get them to show us where Charlie had been killed, but also a copy of the coroner's report. It was pretty grim reading, but I needed to know what happened to him for my own peace of mind. Charlie had been pronounced dead at the scene, he'd been mauled pretty badly and had lost too much blood. The likely cause of death was listed as bear attack. He had his gun though, why the hell didn't try and use it! The report stated that his gun had not been fired at all. I'd held back the tears, not wanting to break down there of all places. It was easier with Alice there to hold my hand.

I hoped by reading the report and visiting the scene of his death I might get a little closure. I may not get any answers as to why he was out there all alone, because no-one seemed to know, but at least I could see where he died for myself. I felt I needed to do this. I linked my arm through Alice's and we headed back to her car.

"A flat tire!" Alice screeched. "You've got to be fucking kidding me! They were brand new!" She ran up to her baby and crouched down to inspect the damage.

"Bella?" she whispered, beckoning me over to the tyre. "It's been slashed. Who the fuck would do that?"

I crouched next to her and looked to where she was pointing. Sure enough there was a five inch long gash through the tire, it was too clean to have been done by accident. We both stood and looked around the parking lot, but there was no-one else in sight. Who ever had done this was long gone.

"Right!" I said. "Let's get this changed and get out of here. Where's you spare, Al?" As soon as I mentioned the spare tire, her eyes dropped to the ground and she started to wring her hands. A nervous Alice, is never a good sign.

"Well...um...you see..."

"Alice" I cut her off. "Where. Is. The. Spare.?" She lift her chin and looked at me then.

"I don't have one," she mumbled. "I took it out to get it fixed and sort of forgot to put it back in."

"What?" I didn't mean to shout at her, but really? She'd at least had the decency to look apologetic.

I took several deep, calming breaths and then said sorry to Alice for shouting at her. After all, it wasn't her fault that some nutcase decided to slash her tire. She then apologized to me for forgetting to replace the spare tyre and before long we were hugging and all was OK again. We were interrupted from our moment by throat clearing followed by a smooth velvety voice behind us.

"Mornin' ladies. Can we help you with that?"

From the deep Southern drawl , I half expected to turn around and find the owner of the voice wearing cowboy boots and tipping his hat. What we did find however was that the voice belonged to the beautiful blonde boy from the store yesterday, and standing beside him looking down at Alice's flat tyre, was his bronze haired friend. _Fuck me_, they were even more beautiful up close.

"Unfortunately not, I don't have a spare I'm afraid." Alice answered, I was impressed by her ability to speak coherently because there was no way I could form a sentence right now.

"I'm Alice Brandon, by the way," she added, holding out her hand. "And this is my best friend Bella Swan." She elbowed me in the ribs to stop me staring. Jasper took her outstretched hand in his gloved one, raised it to his lips and placed a soft kiss on her knuckles. I thought for a minuted she was going to faint, but she managed to hold it together ,batting her eyelashes and grinning from ear to ear.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Alice." He continued staring at her for a few more seconds before turning to me and adding, "You too, Bella." His gazed shifted immediately back to Alice as though he was afraid he might miss something.

A chuckle next to me caught my attention and I shifted sightly to look at Mr Bronze Hair. He was smiling ruefully at Alice and Jasper, who were now busy chatting between themselves.

"Forgive my brother for his lack of manners, it seems he has become somewhat distracted." I gazed up into his eyes and got lost in their golden depths.

"My name is Edward Cullen," he said. "And this is my brother Jasper." He gestured over to the boy talking to Alice.

I was so busy getting lost in his eyes that I paid no attention to what he was saying.

"I'm sorry, what?" I felt myself blush and inwardly cursed myself for acting like such a girl!

"I was introducing myself," he replied, laughing softly. "I'm Edward Cullen and that, over with your friend, is my brother Jasper."

I held out my hand for Edward to shake, but he repeated Jasper's earlier action and brought it to his lips for a kiss. I so wanted my lips to trade places with my hand at that moment. _Whoa! Slow down Bella, reign in those hormones._

"Pleased to meet you Edward." I managed to get out eventually.

"Likewise, Bella." He replied, sucking me back in with his tractor-beam eyes and velvety voice.

"Since we can't help you to change the tire, can we at least offer you a ride home. Its not really safe to be hanging around here on your own."

I almost scoffed at his words, this is Forks for fuck's sake, but the way he said it sent a shiver down my spine. The tire was slashed after all.

"Hey, you didn't happen to see anyone leaving here did you?" I asked hopefully. "The tire was cut on purpose, it wasn't a puncture."

Jasper and Edward glanced at each briefly, before Edward answered.

"Well, we did pass a car full of Quilete boys on our way here." he said.

"Jake and his friends?" I asked. "They wouldn't do anything like this, surely." Well, I knew Jake certainly wouldn't.

"You know them?" Edward didn't look particularly pleased at this bit of news.

"I know Jake. We grew up together. I've not seen him for a few years, but the Jake I knew wouldn't do this." I said, pointing to Alice's tire.

Edward edged slightly closer to me and ducked his head so we were eye to eye. His presence was intoxicating.

"People change Bella. I don't know about Jake but the rest of those boys are trouble. You'd be wise to stay away from them."

I shook my head in an attempt to clear it of my Edward induced haze and took a step back.

"I'll bear that in mind. Thanks." I tried to catch Alice's attention because we really needed to organize someone to sort out her tire and find a ride home.

"Alice?" she managed to tear herself away from Jasper's side and came to stand by me. "What are we going to do about your car?" Before she could answer, Jasper cut in.

"There is a local garage who would be able to fix the tyre and we really would be glad to offer you ladies a ride home." he gave Alice a searing look as he finished speaking and she all but melted onto the ground. As nice as they seemed, my Dad had taught me never to accept lifts from strangers, but I could see Alice had other ideas.

"Alice!" I hissed under my breath and gave a her the stink eye. She knew I wouldn't want to accept the lift. She gave me her best puppy dog eyes, which I always had trouble resisting, and mouthed the word _'please'_ at me. As I was about to shake my head at her, the heavens decided to open and pretty much sealed our fate.

"OK, where's your car?" Alice quickly asked Jasper. He pointed to the sleek silver Volvo we'd spotted yesterday and they both started jogging towards it. I had no choice but to follow along with Edward. Just as I was going to join Alice in the back seat, she grinned and shouted out,

"Ooh, Bella gets car sick and should probably sit upfront." I glared at her because she had done that shit on purpose. Since Edward was driving, it meant she and Jasper could cozy up in the back. She stuck her tongue out at me and Jasper just smirked as he got in. I cursed her several times in my head and climbed reluctantly into the front seat.

"Right." Edward said taking his gloves off and looking at me with those eyes that turned me into a stuttering fool, "Where to?"

-oxo-

Our ride home was interesting if a little uncomfortable, for me anyway. Jasper and Alice chatted away like old friends in the back, while Edward and I found things a little more difficult. Is not that I didn't like him, because believe me, I really liked him. It's just not as easy for me to get to know people as it is for Alice. I don't think it helped that I kept zoning out thinking about how perfect he was, and if he was that perfect all over. That train of thought caused me to blush and of course he had to ask me why I was blushing, so yeah it was a bit awkward in the front. Thank God he couldn't read my mind.

I did find out that he and Jasper recently moved here with their parents, Carlisle & Esme Cullen, and their elder brother and his wife, Emmett and Rosalie. They all lived together, which I initially found odd , but Edward assured me it was a big house and they just liked to be close to each other. I could appreciate that part, now more than ever. Family was important and should never be taken for granted.

The sadness I'd felt at that moment must have shown on my face, because Edward ran his finger gently along the edge of my hand and whispered,

"I heard what happened to your father. I'm very sorry." The warmth that shot up my arm from his touch took me by surprise and almost made me miss how cold his finger had felt. Almost. My eyes shot up to his, but he had already looked away and his hands were back on the steering wheel. _What the fuck was that!_ I managed to force out a small smile and a 'thanks'.

After I'd calmed down a bit I also managed to discover that he was 23 and Jasper was 24. I didn't manage to ask what they did for a living here in Forks though, I would have get to that another time because we'd arrived at the house.

I turned in my seat to face Edward, trying not to stare at him and his deliciousness.

"Thanks for the ride. Would you two like to come in for a coffee?" I asked, hoping for a little more time to get to know him. I could see Alice beaming with approval out the corner of my eye. She obviously wasn't finished with Jasper either. Unfortunately, we were both about to be disappointed.

"Thank you, but we will have to regretfully decline this time." Edward answered for the two of them, looking so deep into my eyes that I barely registered he had spoken. "We have a few things to do this morning, that can't be put off. I'm very sorry, Bella." The way he said my name had me melting in my seat, he sounded so seductive I wanted to climb in his lap and say goodbye properly. _Down Bella! _I was snapped out of my lusty musings by Alice clearing her throat and I realized Edward was now smirking at me.

"Oh, OK. Well maybe another time, then." I tried to hide the disappointment in my voice, but I'm not sure I succeeded.

"You can count on it, Bella."

I swallowed thickly and began to gather my things together, ready to get out of the car. Before I could open the door however, Edward was there opening it for me. _Wow, he was fast_. I thanked him and waited for Alice, who was being helped out by Jasper, before heading towards the house. We watched them drive away, waving like schoolgirls.

I opened the front door and as we took off our coats and hung them up Alice stopped me with her hand on my arm, "OK, Bella." She said, barely containing her excitement, "I'm going to call the garage about my car then we have some sharing to do!" She let out a squeal and skipped off to use the phone in the kitchen.

I collapsed on the sofa, closing my eyes briefly while my thought drifted back to Edward. I felt a smile forming on my lips as I pictured his face. My daydreaming was rudely cut short by the ringing of my phone. I slipped it out of my pocket and checked the caller id.

_Jacob._

"Hey, Jake" I answered. "What's up?"

"Hey, Bella. I was wondering if you were doing anything tomorrow. I know I said you couldn't come down to the Res, but there's nothing to stop me coming to see you, I'd really like us to catch up. It's been too long." Wow, I don't think he even came up for air! Mmm..I'd really wanted to go and see the place where the police said they'd found Charlie. Maybe I could kill two birds with one stone.

"Jake, how well do you know the woods behind Charlie's house?"

There was silence on the other end of the line, so I went on to explain about what Alice and I had found out at the police station this morning. After a bit of persuading, he agreed to go with me and we made arrangements to meet at my house at 10am the next day.

I set my phone on the coffee table just as Alice came bouncing in. She settled herself down on the sofa, shifting slightly so that she was now facing me.

"So, who wants to go first!" She didn't wait for an answer and began to tell me all about Jasper. I decided to get comfy because knowing Alice, this could take a while.

-oxo-

**a/n Please review, I would love to know what you think.**


	3. All The Things She Said

**a/n Thanks as always to GemmaH and tigerlilylace for all their help with this chapter. **

**SM owns everything of course. I own nothing but a mangy old tabby cat who hides under the stairs! Chapter title is borrowed from the fabulous Simple Minds.**

**All The Things She Said**

EPOV

"Fuck!" I cursed, tightening my hands on the steering wheel.

"Calm down man," Jasper hissed at me. "You're gonna break that !" He said, motioning to the steering wheel with his finger.

"I touched her." I knew I should have kept my gloves on, but I fucking hated driving in them. It was a careless mistake that I should never have made.

"So, you touched her, big deal." he replied, fastening his seatbelt, for appearances sake, and relaxing into the passenger seat. That was Jasper, always so laid back. I, on the other hand was anything but.

"You don't understand, it felt...different. I know she felt it too because her heart took off like a runaway train. She definitely noticed how cold I was, I could sense her fear, despite her trying to hide it. "

"Yeah, that's not all I could sense." He replied smirking.

"Jas!" I snapped.

"Don't be so uptight Edward, she obviously finds you attractive, despite you having a stick up your ass!" Yeah, I knew she did. The way her breath caught and her pupils dilated every time I looked at her. Not to mention the lovely blush that crept over her flawless skin. She was stunning.

"That's not the only thing though Jas..." I left the sentenced unfinished, not sure if I wanted to admit this. Not surprisingly with his unnerving way of sensing emotions, Jasper already knew how I felt. That was his talent, well part of it. He could also affect people's emotions too.

"I know Edward, I could feel how much you wanted it." He replied softly. He was talking about her blood, her warm and delicious smelling blood. As Vampires, it was the one thing we lusted after most in this world.

"I've never experienced anything like it. She smelled absolutely mouthwatering, I wanted nothing more than to nuzzle in her hair and the soft skin of her neck." And maybe take a bite or two.

"Thank fuck we've learned to ignore the thirst Jas or I would have been on her in a heartbeat." Her heartbeat, and it would most certainly have been her last. Luckily for her I don't drink from humans.

All of my family abstained from drinking human blood, the idea was abhorrent to us, just not an option. We survived on animal blood alone, some of it more appetizing than others. That's not to say we didn't feel the desire for it, that will never go away, its what we are. We just manage to ignore it sufficiently to co-exist safely with humans.

But Bella, ahh... just the thought of her made my body come alive, she was something different altogether. I wanted to drown in her scent and lose myself in her body. I could resist her blood,just about, I wasn't so sure I could resist her.

"Are we still going back to listen in?" Jasper asked, interrupting my thoughts. We had agreed to bring the car back to our house and then return to Bella's. I know its not polite to eavesdrop, but we needed to know if they suspected anything. Well I needed to know, I think Jasper just wanted to listen to Alice moon over him.

"Yes," I replied, parking the car and getting out. "Let's go."

"I still don't understand why you can't just read her thoughts to see if she has any idea about us."

That was my talent, I could hear people's thoughts, as they thought them. My family had learned how to block me for short periods of time by singing songs or reciting poetry in their heads, anything to occupy their minds. Them aside, I could read every mind I came across except for Bella's. I'd neglected to let Jasper know this however until now.

"I can't hear her Jas." I waited for his reaction.

"What? What do you mean you cant hear her?" He looked at me with disbelief.

"Her mind is blank, I can't hear her thoughts at all." I replied.

"Nothing?" I shook my head fractionally and he let out a low whistle. "Well, fuck me!"

It was both a relief and frustrating at the same time. Not knowing someone's every thought, or how they were going to react made a delightfully refreshing change, but it didn't help me find out what we needed to know. Did she suspect anything? For that, we needed to it the old fashioned way.

We ran back to Bella's through the forest, only slowing down as we neared the edge of her property. I could hear the two distinct heartbeats, one of them like a Siren's call to my heightened senses.

-oxo-

We could hear both girls talking but it became clear after a few seconds that they weren't speaking to each other, they were obviously both on the phone. I listened intently to Bella's conversation.

"Hey Jake" She said "What's up?"

_Jake? _Could that possibly be Jacob Black, She'd said he was an old friend, but still, what business did he have calling her. I felt an irrational surge of jealousy knowing that he had her number and I did not. I waited rather impatiently to find out the purpose of his call. I didn't trust him or the rest of his La Push buddies and I was almost certain it was no coincidence that we'd seen them when Alice's tire had been slashed.

"Jake, how well do you know the woods behind Charlie's house?" Why the hell would she want to know that? Unless...I thought back to where we had first met the girls, outside the police station. As I listened further to their conversation my suspicions were confirmed. Those assholes at the station had told her where her father had died and now she was asking _Jacob Black,_ of all fucking people, to take her there. What truly astounded me though was that he agreed. A little pleading on her part was all it took for him to agree to take her into the woods. Was he fucking insane! My fingers gouged holes in the ground as I struggled to contain my anger. Her Police Chief father, who had been armed, died a grisly death out there. I hope Jacob intended to take a gun at least.

Jasper looked over at me anxiously and I suddenly felt a wave of calm roll over me. Normally I found his manipulation of my emotions highly annoying, but in this instance I welcomed it. Alice had just entered the living room and the girls were preparing to talk. I needed to concentrate on both Alice's thoughts and what was said out loud. That would be much more difficult if I was struggling with my anger too.

"So, who wants to go first!" Alice's thoughts were full of Jasper as she excitedly replayed the mornings events, eager to share it all with her friend. Unable to wait any longer, she started talking.

"OK, I'll go then." She started talking a mile a minute, hardly coming up for air. I could see Bella smiling at her through Alice's thoughts, her best friend's excitement quickly becoming infectious.

"Oh my God, Bella. The minute he opened his mouth and spoke in that fucking awesome accent, I thought I was gonna die. Then he kissed my hand, fuck me! I mean who does that these days? I almost combusted on the spot from all that hotness!"

I looked over at Jasper and rolled my eyes. He was such a smooth operator, knowing exactly what he was doing with his southern accent and old school charm. All that, combined with our kind's inherent good looks and general appeal, well, the girl never stood a chance. He just smirked and shrugged his shoulders.

Alice went on to tell Bella all about her and Jasper's conversation in the back of the car. How he had asked all about her family, her job and how she knew Bella. I was a little disturbed by this information, Jasper and I were no strangers to the pleasures of human women, but usually it was purely for sexual gratification, nothing else. It was more Jasper's thing than mine, but he never got personal with them, certainly not like he appeared to be doing with Alice. I raised an eyebrow at him, but he chose to ignore me, blocking his thoughts. Not quickly enough to stop me catching a glimpse of them though and what I saw was not good. He liked her. No wonder he'd insisted we pull over when we saw them stranded outside the police station. Fuck! We were both in a lot of trouble, the family would not be happy.

I was pulled from my internal musings by Alice's next sentence.

"So Bella, tell me what you think about Edward. You two looked all cozy in the front."

This was moment I had been waiting for. Ever since we'd heard them talking about us in the grocery store I had been aching to know Bella's thoughts. She let out a long sigh before leaning back on the sofa and rubbing her hands over her eyes. I watched her through Alice's thoughts, all the while thinking that this didn't look too good for me.

"He's so intense Al," she began, "but in a good way, if you know what I mean."

Thank fuck! I felt myself relax slightly.

"Oh, by the way, I could fucking kill you for that stunt you pulled! You know damn well I don't get car sickness." Alice just laughed and I couldn't help but chuckle too, remembering how embarrassed Bella had been when forced to sit up front with me.

"His eyes were the the most amazing color and I kept getting lost in them. God, Alice! I think I may have drooled at one point. I don't know, there's something different about him, I can't quite put my finger on it. "

So, she did suspected something, but seemed to have no idea what that something was. We would have to keep it that way.

"Oh, that reminds me," she said. The tone of her voice concerning me a little. "I got a little upset in the car when he started talking about family. He leaned in and whispered that he was sorry about my Dad," she sighed and her heartbeat sped up slightly. She was silent for a few seconds, her mind obviously elsewhere. I would give anything to know what she was thinking right then.

"Hey!" Alice said and I could see her snapping her fingers in front of Bella's face.

"Oh, sorry. I was just remembering the way his cool breath felt on my neck." she sighed again. "Anyway, he ran his finger along my hand and it was so cold, Alice. Like 'stick your hand in the freezer for an hour' cold." So, she had noticed, I thought as much.

"Bella, it had just started to rain like crazy, I was freezing too!" Alice tried to reassure her.

"Mmm... I suppose." Bella seemed anything but convinced, still, she let it go.

"Apart from all that though, you liked him didn't you? I mean really liked him?" Alice asked, leaning forward eagerly, she wasn't the only one interested in her answer. "You can't tell me that you didn't think he was hot. I saw the way you were staring at him when he wasn't looking, Miss Swan!"

Bella paused for second as if collecting her thoughts, I wanted to scream at her to answer already!

"Yes, Alice. I really like him." She finally answered. "And yeah, he's so fucking hot!" The two girls then collapsed into fits of laughter, while I couldn't stop grinning like a fool. She thinks I'm fucking hot!

"Well, someone's mood has improved all of a sudden." Jasper's voice snapped me back to reality and I shot him a glare.

"What's the problem, I got the distinct impression you liked her too." He said, raising his eyebrows at me, challenging me to disagree.

"They're human, for fucks sake!" I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose. "You know we can't get emotionally involved with them." His mind immediately pictured Alice in a very comprising position gazing lovingly up at him, I looked pointedly at him. "That goes for you too."

The girls had finished their 'talk' and had now moved upstairs to start sorting through Charlie's stuff. It was our cue to leave and I decided to try and lighten the mood a bit before we got back to the rest of our family. I didn't want them asking any awkward questions.

"Come on, lets head back." I grinned at him before adding,"race you," and set off like a rocket into the trees. I heard Jasper mutter a string of obscenities before setting off after me. He was fast, but I was much faster and I laughed out loud as I heard him cursing at me again, this time in his thoughts.

-oxo-

As we approach the outskirts of our property, but still out of hearing range of the rest of our family, I came to a stop and motioned for Jasper to do the same. I wanted to get a few things clear before we headed into the house.

"What are we going to tell them about Bella and Alice?" I asked him. He knew what I was referring to, there was no need to spell it out.

"I think we should tell them that we met Chief Swan's daughter and her friend, but I don't think there's any need to say any more than that." He replied, basically feeling the same way as me. The family didn't need to know the extent of our feelings on this matter, or that I couldn't hear her thoughts. At least not yet anyway.

"Oh," Jasper added as an after though. "You might want to tell them about Bella's planned trip into the forest in the morning, with 'you know who'."

"Yeah, you're probably right." I added. Carlisle would definitely want to know that particular piece of information, since it was so close to our land.

We walked the rest of the way to the front of the house, chatting about nothing in particular as we were now well within hearing range. I looked up as we approached the front door, only to be met with the sight of Rosalie leaning against the wall. Jasper and I both stopped in front of her, waiting for whatever it was she had to say.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't the dynamic duo." She said smirking at us.

"Dibs on being Batman." I quickly muttered under my breath. Jasper scowled at me and Rosalie just laughed.

"Well, assholes," She pushed herself off the wall but didn't move to go inside. "Where have you two been? You dropped your car off over two hours ago. I hope you haven't been harassing the nice ladies of Forks, you _know_ what Carlisle said."

"Come on, Rose," Jasper whined, "You could care less what we do!"

"That's not the point Jasper and you know it." She replied. "We want to stay here as long as possible and that means you two keeping it in your pants." She narrowed her eyes at Jasper and pointed a finger at him.

"Especially you!"

I said nothing, not wanting to piss her off any further, we didn't need an angry Rose on our hands.

"I told him you had a good reason for disappearing without a word."

"Thanks. " We both muttered.

"Don't make me a liar, boys." She tossed over her shoulder as she flounced into the house.

Following Rose into the house, I noticed that everyone was in the living room. Emmett was watching a game on TV, with Rosalie now sitting by his side. Carlisle and Esme we both relaxing on the sofa, reading. All of them, except Rose, looked up as we entered.

_You've been gone quite a while Edward, was there a problem with something? Where have you been?_

Carlisle directed his thoughts at me, it wasn't unusual for him to talk to me this way. I answered out loud though.

"We gave Chief Swan's daughter and her friend a lift home, their tire had been slashed."

"Slashed?" asked Esme. "Do you know who did it? Why would someone do that to the poor girl." That was Esme through and through, always concerned for others.

"We passed the Quilette boys on our way to the station, they may have had something to do with it." I answered.

_I don't like the sound of that Edward, why are they taking an interest in the Swan girl?_

"She knows one of them, Carlisle; Jacob Black." It took all my restraint not to sneer as I said his name, Carlisle would have become suspicious for sure. "Apparently, their fathers were old friends."

"Of course, Billy Black. I don't think he's ventured off the reservation for quite some time though." Carlisle chose to speak out loud as well this time. "How well does the daughter, -Isabella isn't it, - how well does she know Black?"

I bit my tongue in an effort not to correct him. _Bella, she prefers Bella,_ I thought. Thankfully I managed to keep this to myself.

"They are old friends too apparently, although they haven't been in touch for several years." I paused before telling them how we overheard Bella planning the trip with Jake in the morning.

"He's taking her into the forest tomorrow morning, to show her where Charlie was killed." As I said this, four sets of eyes were immediately trained on me. Emmett, who had been silent up until now, broke the silence first.

"What the fuck is he thinking? I can't imagine Sam will be thrilled about this!"

I had to agree with Emmett, I didn't think for one minute that Sam Uley would be ok with it at all. Sam had great influence in La Push, due to his 'special circumstances' and to say he wasn't keen on his people leaving the reservation was an understatement. Jacob had to know this already though, yet he'd still agreed to take her. The whole thing made me uneasy and I'd already decided to accompany them on their little trip tomorrow, out of sight of course.

As if Carlisle could read _my_ mind, he added, "I don't like the sound of all this Edward, maybe you and Jas should keep an eye on them tomorrow."

"Yeah, I was planning on tagging along." Carlisle raised a questioning eyebrow at me. _Shit! _I started to panic.Normally, I would bitch and moan about tracking humans for their own safety, so the fact that I jumped at the chance was making him slightly suspicious. Thankfully Jasper came to my rescue.

"I think that's a good idea, we can watch them easily enough without drawing attention to ourselves. We don't want another _accident _like Chief Swan's, do we?" Jasper shot me a look that said _calm the fuck down man, _followed by a little helping hand. I felt myself relax and gave him a slight nod, in thanks.

Jasper and I decided to go hunt in preparation for our 'human watching' tomorrow, everyone else returned to their previous activities. Everyone except Rosalie. She was looking at me with a strange expression and successfully blocking her thoughts. I would have to be careful around her.

As Jasper and I ran off into the woods searching for our prey, I realized that no-one had even mentioned Alice. His little secret was safe while I had to work like mad to keep mine. Fucking typical.

-oxo-

Our hunting trip was surprisingly successful, we hadn't ventured too far when I caught the unmistakeable aroma of mountain lion. Ahh.. so much more appetizing than deer. I looked over to see Jasper, poised and ready to strike, obviously having smelled it too. He sensed me watching him, turned and nodded in the direction of our prey, giving her to me. I immediately sprang, covering the distance in seconds and was on her before she even had time to register my attack. My razor-like teeth tore through her flesh, impatient to get to the pulsing goodness beneath. She swatted at me as her life drained away, but her claws barely tickled my skin. I drank greedily, savoring each and every drop. Mountain lions were rare, who knew when we'd come across one again.

Once she was empty, I buried the carcass and set off looking for Jasper who'd left me to find his own prey. His scent lead me to the river bank where I found him swiftly devouring a large deer. He stood, wiped his mouth and grinned.

"You fucking owe me big time for that, man!" Yeah, I did, but I wasn't going to let him know that.

"I don't know what you mean. I saw her first, she was mine anyway." I smirked at the outraged look on his face.

"What the fuck ever!" he replied, shoving my shoulder hard. I laughed and shoved him back, though not nearly as hard, letting him know I was just messing with him. After a few death glares in my direction, he eventually came round and we started back towards the house. As we got near, I had an irrepressible urge to go to Bella's instead. Not to go in, just to make sure she was OK. First though, I needed to lose Jasper.

"Hey Jas,..."I started, but he interrupted me before I could get the sentence out.

"You want to go to Bella's, don't you?" He'd stopped and spun round to face me. I was a little shocked that he knew my intentions, I thought I was the mind reader.

"Don't look so shocked Edward, your emotions are all over the place. I knew there was something bothering you."

"Yes," I told him. "I want to go to Bella's, just to check on her, after everything that happened today. Nothing more." It was more or less the truth, I did want to check on her, I also wanted to be as near to her as possible. Maybe close enough to smell her delicious scent. My mind filled with images of the smooth, creamy skin of her neck and shoulders. My body ignited at the memory of being so close to her, touching her.

"Um.. Edward." Jasper shuffled uncomfortably. _Fuck!_. I realized he could sense my building emotions and quickly fought to reign them in.

"Sorry, Jas." I shook off my lust filled thoughts and set off on our new course towards Bella's house. Jasper was hot on my heels. Clearly Bella wasn't the only one who needed checking on tonight.

-oxo-

Lights illuminated the upstairs of Bella's house as we emerged from the woods. It was fully dark out now, so there was little chance of us being seen, but we still chose to stay close to the trees. Although we weren't as close as before, their voices easily carried to us on the still night air. From the sounds of it, they were still busy sorting through Charlie's things.

"Christ Alice, how many of these was he looking into?" Bella's voice sent shivers through my body, every part of me yearning to be near her.

"I think that's number four." Alice answered her. "That's an awful lot for Forks, Bella."

_Edward, do have any idea what they're talking about?_ I shrugged and shook my head in response to Jasper's thoughts. I had no idea. Alice's thoughts are all over the place as she sorted through newspaper clippings to bank statements to police reports. _Police Reports! _Her mind focused on this last piece of information long enough for me to see. It was a missing persons report for a young male, 25yr old, name Riley Smith. His last known whereabouts: hiking in Forks six weeks ago.

I quickly relay all I've just found out to Jasper, quiet enough for only him to hear. The girls are still talking, but we're no longer paying attention.

"So," Jasper whispers. "Chief Swan was investigating missing person's reports?"

"So it would seem." I reply. "And by the sounds of it, there's at least four that remain unsolved."

"Do you think that's all in the Forks area? Could it be other vampires? Surely we'd know if others were in the vicinity?" Jasper had a point, it was unlikely a vampire could come that close without our knowledge. Not all vampires drank animal blood; in fact, my family and I were the exception to the rule.

"We should go back and share this with Carlisle." Jasper said, although he made no move to leave.

"Yes, _you_ should." I replied looking at him pointedly. Carlisle definitely needed to know this, but there's no way I was leaving. Jasper could run back and do the right thing, but I was staying right here, especially since there was now a potential killer on the loose.

"Fine." Jasper hissed , while settling himself against a tree. "We'll _both _tell him later."

I smirked and leaned against the tree next to him. We would both be in so much shit when Carlisle found out about our growing infatuation. And he would find out. It had only been a few hours since we met them and already it was difficult to stay away.

-oxo-

Jasper and I remained in our spot, watching silently until the lights in Bella's house were extinguished one by one, eventually leaving it in total darkness. Soon after, we heard the rhythmic breathing of the two girls, confirming they were both asleep.

"So," Jasper's quiet voice broke the silence.

"So?" I repeated, lifting my head to look at him and raising an eyebrow. His thoughts were full of Alice, so his next question didn't come as much of a surprise.

"Did you read Alice's thoughts again, while we were watching?"

I smirked, I had read her thoughts, quite a few times actually. Jasper watched me intently, his thoughts screaming at me.

_For fuck's sake, man! Just tell me._

"Yes." I answered, deciding to put him out of his misery. "I read them. She likes you too. A lot."

His face broke out into a huge grin.

"Really?" he asked.

"Yes, really!" I laughed and punched him hard on the shoulder, knocking him on his ass.

"Ow! Man." He hissed, picking himself off the floor and scowling at me.

We kept watch over Bella and Alice until the light and sounds of early morning began to surface around us. It was time to leave and inform Carlisle of our findings. Regretfully we took one last look at the house, just as those within it started to rise, and turned to go.

Jasper's intentions flashed across his mind, but I was a second too late to react.

_Catch me if you can, fucker! _With that he disappeared, laughing, into the trees.

"Shit!" I cursed and sped off after him. Once again I could hear his thoughts, but this time he was laughing at me. I increased my speed, gaining on him, but I was never going to catch him before we got home. I guess I could let him have this one.

"Come on, let's get this over with, we need to back at Bella's before 10am." We raced up the steps and inside.

-oxo-

We found Carlisle in his office and explained all about Chief Swan seemingly investigating missing persons reports. He came to much the same conclusion as us, it was unlikely that another vampire could be in the area without alerting us to their presence. Nevertheless, he suggested we all be extra vigilant and be on the look out for signs of any visitors. Jasper and I readily agreed and decided to go on a little reconnaissance mission of our own,before we returned to Bella's. Although it was highly unlikely, I didn't want any of our kind to be around when Bella and Jacob headed into the forest. I wasn't that concerned about him, but her blood was so appealing that it would mean certain death if there were any _visitors_ in the surrounding area.

With a quick hello and goodbye to Esme, who had just entered Carlisle's office, we were out the door in a blur and gone into the forest.

**a/n Please review and let me know your thoughts. Go on, you know you want to!**


	4. If You Go Into The Woods Today

**a/n Thanks as always to GemmaH for all her help with this chapter and tigerlilylace for beta'ing this when she was ill. This chapter is shorter than usual, but it needed to end at this point. **

Disclaimer : SM owns everything Twilight related. I just own a copy of the awesome new Take That cd.

If You Go Into The Woods Today

BPOV

I'd just finished drying my hair and getting dressed, when there was a loud banging on the door. I heard Alice open it and strained to hear who was there.

"Morning, Jacob." Alice said. "Come in and wait in the living room, I'll just go tell Bella that you're here."

_Jake? _I checked my watch, it was only 9.20am, he was way too fucking early! I pulled my hair up into a ponytail and left my bedroom in a huff. I met Alice halfway down the stairs.

"What's he doing here so early?" I whisper yelled at her, even though it wasn't her fault. "We said 10am." Alice ignored my pissy mood as usual and answered me like I hadn't just snapped at her.

"I have no idea Bella, just get your ass down there and you can make an early start." I glared at her, still feeling a bit snippy and wanting to take it out on someone. I took a deep breath and managed to speak in a nice, calm voice.

"Are you sure you don't want to come with us, Alice?" She had refused twice already, but I just thought I'd check again. Hiking really wasn't her thing and she'd said she had a few work issues to sort out.

"Thanks, but no. I think I'll just stay here in the warmth and the dry." She laughed, and then her face turned oddly serious. "Look Bella, I know you don't put much stock in my hunches, but I suddenly have a really bad feeling about today."

I rolled my eyes at her to show that I thought she was being ridiculous, but inside my nerves were tingling. Alice could be spot on sometimes with her 'hunches'.

"It'll be fine Al, nothing's going to happen. Besides, have you seen the size of Jake? I'm sure he can protect me from anything." I tried to smile reassuringly at her, but she still looked worried.

"Well, just make sure you stick close to him and never leave his side."

"Yes, Mom!" I replied. She did smile a little at this and it made me relax slightly in turn.

"And you're sure you're OK being alone out there with him?" she asked, changing tack a little.

If I was honest, I was a little concerned. I'd already phoned the police station and told them about our planned trip, so they knew where I was going and with whom. I made a mental note to tell this information to Jacob, just in case he got any funny ideas. I also had my phone and my can of mace, courtesy of Charlie. He'd always made sure I had one in my bag, I remembered with a sad smile.

"Yes, I'm sure. I mean I am a little nervous about it, but it'll be fine once we get going." I replied, hoping I sounded more confident than I felt.

As I descended the rest of the stairs and entered the living room, I had to stifle the giggle that threatened to escape, at the sight before me. Jacob was far too big for this room and was perched awkwardly on the edge of the sofa, looking away from me. He looked far from comfortable.

"You're early," I snapped, causing him to jump and almost fall off the sofa. This time I did giggle.

"Jesus, Bella!" he replied, more than a little annoyed. "You shouldn't sneak up on people like that, who knows what might happen!"

Well, that was an overreaction if ever I saw one! What's up his ass? I resisted telling him 'whatever', and decided to get going so we could get this over with.

"Since you're here already, we might as well head out." I pulled on my hiking boots and coat, checking behind to make sure he was following and headed out the door.

-oxo-

As we started out on the trail behind Charlie's house, I decided to use this opportunity to get to know Jake again. Hopefully, he had gotten over his little outburst in the living room.

"So, Jake." He looked over at me as I spoke. "Tell me what you've been up to for the last few years. How's Billy? It's been ages since I saw him."

He stopped walking and turned to face me, rubbing one hand over his forehead.

"Things have changed this past year on the Res, Bella. We don't venture into town as much anymore. Well, not at all really. It was just luck that I was there when you were the other day." He turned back around and continued walking along the trail.

"Come on, Bella." he called over his shoulder. "It's quite a walk to where Ch..." He stopped mid sentence, catching himself in time, but I knew what he was going to say. "To where you want to go." He finished off.

I sighed and followed after him. Getting information out of Jacob Black was going to be harder than I thought.

We'd walked for another hour, in virtual silence, when I decided I needed to stop and rest.

"Can we stop for a minute?" I asked, collapsing onto the nearest rock and dumping my rucksack onto the ground. I was sweating and slightly out of breath. Jake on the other hand, looked like we'd been out for a leisurely stroll, not a grueling hike through the woods!

"Sure," he replied, sitting down next to me on the rock. I fished a couple of water bottles out of my pack and handed one to Jake.

"Thanks," he said, unscrewing the cap and taking a long drink. I was getting a little tired of his one word answers.

"Look, I 'm not taking another step if you're going to ignore me the whole way. Talk to me, Jake. Tell me what's going on in your life."

He sighed deeply and slipped his now empty bottle back in my pack.

"There's really not much to tell, Bella. I spend nearly all of my time, these days, on the Reservation. I run a garage with Seth Clearwater and help out at the school part time." I was a little surprised at his answer. The Jake I knew had wanted to go to college and the last I'd heard from Charlie he'd applied and been accepted on a scholarship.

"What happened? I thought you were going to college. What changed your mind?"

"Not what, Bella. Who." He muttered, getting up and kicking at a fallen tree nearby.

"What are you saying?" I asked, a little confused as to what he meant. I didn't think for one minute that Billy would have have stopped him going, Charlie had said, many times, how proud he'd been. I asked the question anyway.

"Did Billy ask you not to go?" His head whipped up and anger flashed across his eyes.

"Fuck, no!" he snapped at me. "He practically begged me to go."

"Then I don't understand, Jake," I said, undeterred by his anger. "Who stopped you from leaving?"

His face immediately morphed into a controlled mask and I knew he was done talking.

"I've said too much already. Just leave it alone, ok?" I nodded and shouldered my rucksack, more curious than ever about things on the Res, but knowing I wouldn't get any more answers from Jake. He started off again at a pace that left me scrambling to keep up and absolutely no chance for conversation.

-oxo-

After about another hour and a half, we reached a small clearing and Jake came to an abrupt halt. I knew immediately from the look on his face that we'd arrived at the spot where Charlie had died. His face softened considerably as he looked over at me.

"We here," he almost whispered, as though talking any louder would be disrespectful. I nodded my head once, in acknowledgment and began to walk round the edges of the clearing. I wasn't sure what I was looking for exactly, it wasn't like I was going to find any clues as to why he died. Now I was actually out here, I just couldn't get past the fact that he'd been here alone.

"Why was he out here Jake?" I asked, not really expecting an answer and not waiting for one either. "What was he doing out here all by himself? He was a smart man, and this," I said, waving my hands around in the air. "This, was not a smart move."

"I don't know what to say, Bella, when Paul and Sam found him-"

"Wait! What?" I interrupted. "_They_ found him? How did they know where to look? I thought you said people didn't venture off the Reservation?" I fired my questions at him without pausing for breath.

"I don't know why they were out here, or even if they _were_ looking for him. All I know is that when Paul and Sam found him, he'd lost a lot of blood. They called for help, but by that time it was just too late. I'm sorry Bella."

I pictured Charlie lying alone and helpless on the forest floor and the grief suddenly washed over me. I remembered the phone call telling me of his death and how I refused to believe it. I'd thought he would be around forever, always watching out for me, and now he was gone; viciously ripped away from me by a freak animal attack. Tears streamed down my face. I slipped off my rucksack and sank to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably. I should never have come here, it was just too much.

Jake rushed towards me but I raised my hand in warning. I needed to get this out and I needed to do it alone. I didn't want to be comforted right now, I just wanted to wallow in my grief. He backed off and I silently thanked him.

I had no idea how long he let me cry for. As the tears eventually subsided I sat up and wiped my face with a tissue from my pocket, I saw Jake walking hesitantly towards me and I gave him a small smile, letting him know that it was now OK.

"Come here, Bella" Jake's voice was soft, soothing, as he gently pulled me up into his arms. I stiffened in his unfamiliar embrace, but the magnitude of my loss weighed heavily on me and I took comfort in his arms for just a second, relaxing into his body.

I took a deep shuddering, breath and decided the hug had gone on long enough. I didn't want Jake to get the wrong impression; I already had the feeling he saw potential for us being more than friends. Before I could move, a deafening cracking sound reverberated through the forest, scattering birds from the surrounding trees. Jake's head snapped round in the direction of the noise and he inhaled deeply. I felt his muscles tense and his grip on me tightened, almost to the point of being painful.

"Fuck!" he cursed under his breath, his grip getting ever tighter.

"Ow, Jake! You're hurting me." I struggled to break free of his grasp. He must have realized what I was trying to do because he suddenly let me go and stepped back, away from me.

"Shit. I'm sorry Bella. Are you ok?" he asked, remorse clouding his features.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I replied, rubbing my arms in an attempt to get the circulation going again.

I took a good look at Jake. His posture was still tense; his body tightly wound as if preparing for a fight. I wondered what on earth could be wrong and was just about to ask him, when he spoke.

"Look, I'm just going to take a piss in those trees over there. Don't move from this spot."

"Nice, Jake." I said, rolling my eyes at him, relieved that he seemed to be back to normal. "That really was more information than I needed."

He shrugged, not sorry in the least. His eyes were deadly serious though, as he turned to leave.

"I mean it, Bella. Stay right the fuck here."

"Okay, okay." I replied. I had no intention of moving 'til he got back. "Go do what you have to do." I shooed him away with my hands. "But be quick though!" I added as an after thought. I didn't like the idea of being alone for any length of time out here. I watched as he ran off into the trees and tried my hardest not to let his departure bother me.

I moved from foot to foot, toeing at the fallen leaves on the ground. As I waited, I noticed the forest had gone eerily silent. There were no birds singing, in fact no animal noises whatsoever. I strained my ears, trying to listen for sounds of Jake. He only went to relieve himself, surely he wouldn't have gone that far. I could feel the panic starting to build. I tried using breathing exercises in an effort to calm myself down before it escalated into a full blown panic attack, all the time reminding myself that I was OK.

Breathe in..._Jake will be back soon_...breathe out..._he didn't go far_... breathe in..._he won't leave you_...breathe out..._you're fine, relax._.

After several minutes of deep breathing, I felt the panic retreating. I chastised myself for being so silly. Jake was probably watching me and having a good laugh at my expense. Another few minutes passed as I walked around in a circle, trying not to think about Charlie. I examined the surrounding fauna, being careful not to move too far from my spot. Come on, Jake! How long does it take to have a piss, for fuck's sake? Alice's warning hovered at the back of my mind, but I hurriedly shook it off, it was just a hunch after all.

I'd had enough of this, it had gone beyond a joke.

"Jake?" I shouted. I waited anxiously for his answering call, but nothing came. I tried again.

"Jake, come on! This isn't funny anymore." I was almost whining now, but I didn't care. The panic was back with a vengeance and I just wanted to go home. I heard a twig snap behind me and I spun round, ready to give him a piece of my mind for scaring the shit out of me.

There was nobody there. I called for him once more, my voice almost coming out as a whisper.

"Jake? Is that you?" My hands began to shake violently, so I stuffed them in my pockets. "Please, Jake. You're scaring me!"

Still nothing.

Tears of panic began to pool in my eyes and spill over onto my cheeks. Where the fuck was he?Another snap sounded, over to my left. I turned again, slowly this time, expecting to see nothing but trees; Jake still playing his silly game.

Unfortunately, I was wrong. I wasn't alone anymore, but it wasn't Jake I was looking at. My stunned mind struggled to comprehend the sight in front of me. My heart hammered in my chest, threatening to burst out at any moment.

There, in amongst the trees, I could make out five pairs of menacing eyes staring back at me. My blood ran cold and fear spread throughout my body.

"Holy fuck!" I whispered, rooted to the spot, watching them slowly emerge from the trees.

They moved towards me and I could finally see _all _of them. I gasped at their sheer size, I had never seen wolves this big; if that's what they were. Their shoulders were easily the height of my head.

They stopped, one by one, about fifty feet in front of me, their lips curled back in a snarl revealing rows of razor sharp teeth. I involuntarily took a step back, realizing as I did so, that I should probably have stayed as still as possible. I seemed unable to control my body at this point though.

The huge black wolf at the front, turned and growled at the others, as if issuing an order. They snapped and snarled, but didn't move any further forward. I watched with morbid fascination as they bared their teeth at me, shuffling on their paws, but thankfully not getting any closer.

I was roughly brought back to life by a sudden sound from over where Jake had disappeared. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. There was nothing Jake could do now except possibly get himself hurt as well.

The noise had whipped the wolves into a frenzy. They were now snarling viciously and looking hungrily in my direction, inching their way forward. The black wolf growled out a warning again, but it was too late. Out of the corner of my eye I saw one of the others poised and ready to attack, his eyes trained solely on me.

I stood, frozen. My heart pounded and blood coursed through my veins.

_Oh my God_!

I was going to die out here, all alone. I couldn't scream, or shout, or move. I was immobilized by sheer terror, accepting that any attempt at escape would be futile. I briefly wondered if this is how Charlie had felt just before he died and I hoped with all my heart that it wasn't. With that final thought I closed my eyes and waited for the inevitable pain that I knew was coming.

I felt a great weight slam into me, knocking the breath from my lungs and sending me hurtling through the air. I hit the ground and pain radiated throughout my body. My head slammed onto something hard on the forest floor, maybe a tree stump or a rock, I thought fleetingly.

I lay there, dazed and confused, the surrounding noises becoming increasingly more faint. I thought maybe I heard someone calling my name, but I couldn't be sure. _I stayed right where you left me,_ _Jake_..._ just like you said_.

That was the last thing my mind registered before darkness claimed me and everything went silent.

**a/n Please review and let me know your thoughts. It makes my day!**


	5. Secrets and Lies

**a/n Thanks as always to GemmaH for all her help with this chapter and for stepping in to beta it too. Thanks to all of you for reading and especially to those reviewing, you really make my day!**

**Disclaimer: SM owns everything Twilight related. I nothing but a nice new sparkly dress.**

**Secrets and Lies**

**EPOV**

"Jasper?" I called to him across the forest. We'd been searching the area for the last two hours and had found absolutely no evidence to suggest that other Vampires were in the area. I heard rustling from behind me and Jasper was at my side within seconds.

"Anything?" I asked him, already knowing what his answer would be.

"Nothing," he replied, shaking his head. "If others have been here, they have found a way to totally mask their scent, which I have never, ever heard of."

I had to agree with him, Vampires always left a scent trail and there was no trace of one anywhere around here. I checked my watch, it was almost 9.30am. Bella would be leaving soon on her trek with_ him. _I wanted Jasper and I to be in position before they set off, if we were to follow them without being seen.

"Come on, then. Let's head back to Bella's. The area looks pretty safe to me." Well, if you didn't count the wild animals and us of course.

We circled back and sped off in the direction of Bella's house. Jasper's thoughts immediately settled on Alice and the possibility of seeing her again. She'd said last night that she wouldn't be joining Bella and Jake on their hike, but Jasper still had hopes of seeing her at the house. His mind wandered to thoughts of Alice waking up, Alice getting out of bed, Alice taking a shower and...

"Jasper!" I snapped at him. I really didn't need images of Alice naked in the shower, doing all manner of things with the shower head. "Get your dirty fucking mind out of the gutter, or at least try and block your thoughts," I complained. He looked over and smirked at me.

"If you don't like what you see, then stay the fuck out of my head, man!"

I grumbled at him but made a conscious effort to stay clear of his thoughts. I was doing well until he virtually shouted to me in his mind.

_Edward? Imagine this..._

With my mind distracted the images of his thoughts slipped easily into my head. Alice almost naked… _fuck_! Lying on the bed with a very naked..._Bella_? Oh, for fuck's sake!_ Jasper!_

I spun round, grabbed him by the waist and tackled him to the ground.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" he managed to get out, in between fits of laughter.

"It's not fucking funny!" I hissed, letting go of him. I sat up and ran my fingers through my hair. Ok, so maybe I overreacted, but the thought of anyone, other than me, seeing Bella naked made me insane with jealousy.

"I really am sorry, man. You know I was only messing with you." He bumped shoulders with me to emphasize his point.

"You should've seen your face, though. Fucking priceless!" He grinned widely at me and I couldn't help but join him. I could never stay mad at Jasper for very long and he knew it. I didn't know if this had anything to do with his talent or not, but I suspected he used it more than I realized. We stood and dusted off the forest floor from our clothes. Bella's house was just the other side of the trees, so we walked quietly to the edge of the forest.

-oxo-

I listened for the now familiar and comforting sound of Bella's heartbeat, but this time I couldn't hear it. There was only one human in the house, and I confirmed from their thoughts that it was Alice. I didn't linger long in Alice's head because her thoughts were no cleaner than Jasper's. They were a perfect match.

"She's not here," I said, looking at Jasper, unsure what to do next.

"Is her truck there? Maybe she slipped out for something before Jacob arrived." I scanned the side of the house and I could see the back end of Bella's old truck sticking out.

"Her truck's still here. What time is it? Are we late?"

"No," he replied. "They're not due to leave for another twenty minutes at least."

_Fuck! _How had we missed them? I bet that over eager fucker was early. It wouldn't take long to catch up to them; I was just annoyed that things had gotten off to a bad start.

"Come on," I said, motioning towards the trail at the back of the house. "Let's go."

-oxo-

We reached the start of the trail and I immediately identified Bella's scent. We were definitely on the right path, but hers wasn't the only scent that I could detect.

"Do you smell that?" Jasper asked, inhaling deeply.

"Yes. It seems Jacob is keeping a few secrets himself." I ran my hands through my hair; this was a complication. It meant we'd need to keep sufficient distance so we remained undetected. We were planning on doing this anyway, but now we'd need to be further away than I 'd anticipated and probably down wind too. I would now have to watch them through Jacob's thoughts.

We set off along the trail, more cautiously than before. It wasn't too long before we caught the faint but now familiar scent of them both. I searched for Jacob's thoughts and was rewarded with jumbled images of La Push, his dad and Bella, his mind jumping all over the place.

_Can you hear him?_ Jasper thought, wanting to remain as quiet as possible. I nodded my head in answer to his question. We walked like this for almost an hour, before Jacob and Bella decided to stop for a break. Bella was clearly pissed at him and I smiled, secretly pleased with her attitude.

"Look, I 'm not taking another step if you're going to ignore me the whole way. Talk to me, Jake. Tell me what's going on in your life." She snapped at him and his thoughts raced with images of his dad and the rest of the La Push gang. It was difficult to get a handle on anything, his thoughts were too chaotic.

They talked about his plans for college and why he hadn't gone. When she asked him if his Dad had held him back, he shouted an emphatic _no_ at her and his thoughts, for once, were loud and clear.

_Sam! _

I wondered what the fuck Sam had to do with Jake staying on the Reservation? I didn't really care, but it was certainly interesting. His thoughts went back to the jumbled mess they were before, and he and Bella were quickly on their way again.

-oxo-

Theyhiked for another hour and a half in virtual silence, until they came to a small clearing and Jake suddenly stopped. This was obviously where Charlie had been killed and Jake's mind was focused solely on Bella. She started firing questions at him, asking why Charlie had been out here

all alone. He surprised the fuck out of me when he mentioned that Paul and Sam had found him. This was Cullen land, what the fuck was Sam doing over here? I quickly told Jas what was happening, hopefully quiet enough not to be heard. He raised his eyebrows when I mentioned Sam.

_We'll need to tell Carlisle as soon as we get back, _he thought.

"I know_." _I answered, barely audibly.

I watched through Jacob's thoughts as Bella collapsed to the ground, sobbing. My dead heart ached at the sight; I wanted nothing more than to go to her. Before I could move, Jasper grabbed my arm and shook his head.

_I can feel how bad it is Edward, but you can't interfere, no matter how much you wish you could. It would raise too many questions._

I scowled and shook my arm free. I knew he was fucking right, but I didn't have to like it.

It seemed like forever until she stopped crying. Jake's thoughts swam with images of Bella in his arms and he gingerly moved towards her. I grabbed the nearest tree to prevent myself from running over there and telling him to keep his fucking hands off. To my horror, she let him pull her up and went willingly into his arms.

_Fuck! Fuck! Motherfucking Fuck! _

My grip on the tree tightened and I could feel the bark starting to crumble.

"Calm the fuck down, man.!" Jasper hissed at me.

I tried to calm myself down but Jacob's thoughts weren't making it easy. He was thinking about comforting her, kissing her and getting her...

_That's fucking it! _

My anger spiraled out of control and the tree I was holding in a death grip snapped into pieces with a loud crack.

_Shit._

Jasper glared at me and I didn't need to hear his thoughts to see how pissed he was. My anger turned to uncertainty as we waited to see what would happen next. Jacob's thoughts were no longer on Bella. He snapped his head round in our direction and he inhaled deeply just as the wind changed, of all the fucking luck. One word flashed across his thoughts.

_Vampire_

He gave Bella a lame excuse about going for a piss and started jogging towards us. Well, this should be interesting. He'd left Bella alone, but we'd scanned the area and there was no immediate danger. She should be safe for the moment.

Jacob stopped about ten meters in front of our position, eyeing us warily.

"What the fuck are you bloodsuckers doing out here?" he spat. A look of distaste clouded his features.

"Well since this is Cullen territory, surely we should be asking you that question?" I spat back at him, because he was really starting to piss me off. I expected to feel Jasper's calming influence, but it never came. I looked over at him and arched an eyebrow, but he just shrugged in response. Maybe we could have a bit of fun here after all.

He shuffled uneasily, knowing that I was right. He shouldn't be out here and he knew it.

"I know that." He said through gritted teeth. "I was just taking Bella Swan to see where her father died. I assume she is still allowed on _Cullen_ land." He took a few deep breathes as though trying to calm himself down. "I _meant_ what are you doing out here in the forest, so close to us humans." He looked at Jasper and I smugly, like he'd caught us with our hand in the cookie jar. He knew we didn't feed on humans, so he could fuck off with his insinuations.

I didn't want to let on that we knew Bella just yet, so I chose to ignore his mention of her and carried on with my own questions.

"Does Sam know you're out here?" He nodded his head, yes, but his thoughts betrayed him. He clearly pictured himself leaving La Push in the early hours of this morning, before anyone was even up.

"Really?" I asked, disbelievingly.

"Well, not exactly." he replied, looking down at the ground again.

"Thought as much" ," I sneered at him.

Before I could question him further about Sam, I suddenly picked up images from several other minds at once.

"Jacob, what the fuck are the wolf pack doing all the way out here?" I asked, trying not to let my panic show. I felt Jasper tense beside me. Two, maybe three wolves we could handle, but I sensed there were more than three heading through the forest.

"What?" He looked as shocked as we were.

"Has Sam changed the treaty without informing us? I take it you do know what the treaty is?"

"Yes, I know what the fucking treaty is, and no, I don't think it has changed. You'd have to check that shit with Sam though."

"Well, there are no other fucking vampires in the area and if they aren't here for us, then who the fuck are they after?"

I watched the images fly through Jacob's mind, before he focused on one disturbing picture. If this was true then there was some serious shit going on that we were totally unaware of. I started to tell Jasper what I'd seen, when we all suddenly came to the same horrifying conclusion.

"Oh, fuck! Bella!" A look of panic spread across Jacob's face as he voiced all of our thoughts.

The air fizzed around him as he exploded into his wolf form. Jasper and I sped off towards where he'd left Bella, wolf Jake hot on our heels.

Now that Jake had phased, the pack knew we were all here and that we were headed towards them. I watched the scene play out in the wolves minds. They were snarling and pacing in front of a terrified Bella. She seemed frozen in place, her wide eyes full of fear. Sam, as _Alpha_, snapped a few orders at them to calm down, but his mind was focused on Jacob. He was furious that Jacob had brought her out here and was ordering him to leave her alone and join with the pack, Jake had no choice but to obey.

Jasper and I were almost there but with Sam's attention solely on Jacob, the others saw their opportunity to attack. I looked on helplessly as one of them readied itself for the strike. We weren't going to fucking make it!

"Edward!" Jasper shouted frantically to me, "Get Bella, I'll take care of the wolf."

I forced myself to go faster. I could see Bella clearly now, but I could also see another of the wolves headed our way. One glance at Jasper told me he hadn't seen it.

_Fuck_!

The only option I had was to push her out the way, then take out the second wolf before it got to Jasper. I connected heavily with her body as Jasper slammed into the first charging wolf. They rolled off to the side in a jumble of flailing limbs. I tried to be as gentle as possible when I ran into Bella, but I was going too fast and the momentum of my body sent her flying through the air. She landed on the ground with a sickening thump, her head snapping back and hitting a broken tree stump.

_Oh, Fuck! Bella!_

I didn't have time to check on her, as the second wolf was mid air and seconds away from sinking its teeth into Jasper's shoulder. I leaped at it, grabbed it round the neck and launched the fucking thing with all my strength, back into the forest. I heard a satisfying crunch as it connected with the trees, followed by a pathetic whimper. With the wolf incapacitated for now, I rushed back to check on Bella.

"Bella?" I cried out, dreading the worst.

I ran over to her just as her eyes fluttered shut and she lost consciousness. I breathed deeply, preparing myself for the scent of blood, but thankfully there was none. She'd escaped cutting her head open when she hit it, but I had no idea if she had any internal injuries. I let out a small sigh of relief when I heard her steady heartbeat. She was alive, for now, but I needed to get her back to Carlisle. He was working as a surgeon at the local hospital while we were staying here but it would be a lot easier all round if he could treat her at our house.

I couldn't go without Jasper though, so I frantically looked around, searching for him and the wolf. There was no way I could leave him on his own against the rest of the fucking pack. I heard snarling and snapping coming from my left.

_Shit_

We could be in some serious fucking trouble here. I'd taken out one but I'd counted at least three more. To my immense relief, I heard the unmistakeable voice of a pissed off Rosalie, trying to goad the wolves into a fight. Her thoughts showed her eagerness to kick some Quileute ass! Sometimes, I fucking loved my sister. With one last glance back at Bella, I raced over to join my family.

"About fucking time, Edward," Rosalie said, grinning at me. "We were about to start the party without you!" She bumped fists with Emmett who was stood on the other side of a very ragged looking Jasper.

I scanned him from head to toe, checking for any injuries. He caught me staring and gave me a small smile.

_I'm ok, man. It was fucking close, but they backed off when Rose and Em arrived. Is Bella ok?_

I nodded slightly at Jasper to let him know she was. My eyes then shifted over to the pack, who were now eerily silent. I counted five; f Four of them in a line upfront, with what I believed to be Jacob hanging back behind them. With my arrival the odds were evened out, and judging from their thoughts the wolves were now less than eager to start a fight. The standoff carried on for several more minutes, before Sam ordered the pack to leave.

One by one they turned and walked away, eventually leaving Jacob. His eyes were trained on the spot where Bella lay, unconscious. His thoughts were full of panic that she may be hurt or worse. He took a tentative step in her direction, but his movements were instantly halted by Sam barking an order at him. He used his position as Alpha to forbid Jake to go near her and forced him to turn around and head back to La Push. With his head hanging down, a broken looking Jake followed dejectedly behind the rest of the pack.

"Well, that was fun!" Rosalie's sarcasm broke the silence and we all relaxed from our fighting stance. "Either of you boys care to tell me what the fuck that was about?" She looked at me pointedly as she asked, knowing I would probably have more information than Jasper.

"It's complicated, Rose."

"I'm sure I can keep up."

"Fine," I reluctantly agreed. "But I'll tell you on the way back to the house. We need to get Bella back so Carlisle can check her injuries." I ran back to where Bella lay and bent down to scoop her up into my arms. I secured her still form against my body, trying not to jostle her too much as I moved. I couldn't resist leaning in and burying my face in her hair, her sweet smell invading my senses.

"Are you sure that's wise Edward?" Rose asked, ruining my moment. She had yet to move from the spot I'd left her in. I could tell from both her face and her thoughts that she was less than pleased by the prospect of allowing a human into our home.

"We don't have much choice, Rose," I answered as calmly as possible. There was no way Bella was going anywhere other than home with me. "How would I explain her injuries if I took her to the hospital?" It was a poor excuse as I'm sure I could make up something, but I hoped Rose would buy it for now.

"Ok, " she eventually replied, with a skeptical look over at me. "But I'm not happy with it."

They all followed closely behind as I carefully carried Bella back and I began to tell Rose and Emmett about our morning, from finding out about Jacob and tracking them through the forest, to our little chat and subsequent run in with the pack. I didn't mention what I had seen in Jacob's mind before the wolves attacked Bella. That piece of information I would share when we reached Carlisle.

-oxo-

Carlisle was waiting in front of the house when we got there. He didn't look at all happy and his thoughts confirmed it.

_Is this Isabella Swan? _I nodded. _ I thought you were just going to watch from a safe distant, not bring her back to our home! What the hell happened? Is she injured? _

I nodded my head again; yes, she was injured. He closed his eyes briefly, and then with a resigned expression moved aside so that we could enter.

"Bring her inside and set her on the sofa, Edward. I'll go and get my bag." He disappeared up the stairs and returned with his medical bag as I was settling Bella onto the large sofa cushions. Rose and Emmett were gone, either to give us some privacy or off to do…well, whatever. I tried not to think about that too much.

Jasper and I watched as Carlisle assessed Bella's injuries. He worked in silence which I found very fucking frustrating. I clenched my fists in an effort to keep quiet. I didn't want to interrupt him while he worked but I wanted to know how bad she was. I felt Jasper's reassuring hand on my shoulder and I smiled my thanks at him. Eventually Carlisle moved away from her side and zipped up his bag.

"Well?" I asked, unable to wait any longer. "How is she? Is it bad?"

Carlisle turned and looked at me long and hard as if trying to figure something out. I searched his thoughts but he was effectively blocking me. _Shit. _This doesn't look good for me.

"Well, since I have no idea what happened and I can smell wolves on you both, I suspect she's had a very lucky escape. Isabella has a concussion, badly bruised ribs and I suspect a sprained wrist. She also has some other minor bruising, but nothing appears to be broken. I've given her something to help with the pain"

I visibly relaxed at his words. It was bad enough that I'd caused these wounds, but I would have been horrified had I broken her bones. Esme came down the stairs at that moment, her arms full of blankets and a pillow. She'd obviously heard us discussing Bella and wanted to make sure she was comfortable, something I should have thought of. She caught my sour expression and nudged my shoulder.

"Don't beat yourself up, Edward. This is what mothers are for," she said with a smile. Gently she placed the soft pillow under Bella's head and carefully tucked the blankets around her.

"She will need to remain here, preferably for a couple of days, but overnight at least. I want to keep an eye on her over the next twenty four hours." I watched Carlisle take in her current state, covered in dirt and leaves, and answered him before he could voice his next question.

"Yes, she could do with a change of clothes. I'm sure Alice would provide them if we asked, but I don't want to leave her while..."

"I'll go," Jasper interrupted. "I mean, it's no problem...if you want to stay here." I managed to smother the laugh that threatened to escape at his over eagerness. Carlisle just looked at him and slightly shook his head. I doubted Jasper and I were fooling anyone. Without waiting for any further instruction, Jasper was off and out the door.

"What the fuck happened, Edward? How did Isabella Swan end up lying unconscious on our sofa?" I was momentarily stunned by Carlisle's use of the word _fuck _as he very rarely cursed. He continued to look at me, waiting for my response.

"Shit, Carlisle. One minute we were just following them, albeit from a fucking distance once we discovered that Jacob had phased, the next minute all hell breaks loose."

"Jacob is a wolf now?" Carlisle asked, looking slightly shocked. "How many of them are there I wonder?"

"I counted five, including Jacob, I don't know if there are more back at La Push." I went on to tell him about our chat with Jacob, leaving out the vital bit of information for now. I told him about our run in with pack and the attempted attack on Bella.

"But why would any of them want to attack Isabella?" He asked the question I had been thinking about since it happened. I decided now was the time to tell him all I knew.

"When Jacob found us in the woods, I got a brief glimpse into his mind when he realized the pack were here. Carlisle," I paused, because what I had to say next was going to fucking shock him. "If Jake's thoughts were the truth, then it was the pack, or certain members of it, that killed Chief Swan."

Carlisle was silent and my revelation hung in the air between us. I let him absorb the information and what it might mean for our treaty with the wolves, which was precarious at best.

"Are you sure?" he finally asked me. "Why would they want to kill Charlie Swan?"

I had no answer to this. As far as I was aware, the Quileute tribe were committed to protecting human life, not taking it. But that had certainly been on the mind of the wolf that attacked Bella.

"Just before the wolf went for Bella, I read his mind. He wanted to kill her Carlisle, just like they had killed Charlie." I thought back to his exact words and there was something odd about them that I couldn't quite work out. Perhaps Carlisle would have a better idea.

"His exact words were – _I'm going to rip that interfering bitch to shreds, just like we did with her fucking father." _I felt the anger flow through my body at the memory. I wanted to kill that fucking wolf for almost taking her away from me.

"She should be waking up soon," Carlisle said, sensing my growing agitation and focusing my attention back on Bella, "We'll talk about this later, but you need to work out what you're going to say to Bella about what happened. You can't tell her about the wolves without telling her about us, and you know we can't reveal what we are. But first, you need to go shower and get rid of that god awful wet dog smell." Carlisle wrinkled his nose at me and I couldn't help the laugh that escaped, breaking the heavy tension that had settled in the room.

"Ok. I'm going, I'm going." I said, rushing off to my bedroom and stripping off my clothes before stepping into the shower. I was eager to get this over quickly so I could be back downstairs with Bella. I wanted to be there when she woke up. I had no idea what I was going to say yet, but I just wanted to be near her.

After roughly toweling off, I slipped on a pair of jeans, too impatient to pick out a shirt, and flew down the stairs to check on Bella. I hovered over her, listening to the steady rhythm of her heart. The sound both soothed and excited me; it was a tough call as to which feeling was more prominent. I leaned down and pushed a stray lock of a hair behind her ear, my fingers trailing a cool path down her cheek.

"She's not woken yet, if that's what you're wondering." Carlisle's voice snapped me from my reverie. I hadn't noticed him enter the room, otherwise I would never have been so intimate with Bella.

"What's going on with you two Edward?" he asked. His tone wasn't what I expected; he wasn't angry, just resigned. His thoughts were full of concern for me, not disappointment. I opened my mouth to answer him, deciding that it was probably time to tell him of my feelings for Bella, but I was interrupted by a sharp increase in her heart rate. She was waking up. Her eyes fluttered open as she slowly gained consciousness.

"Bella?" I spoke her name softly so as not to startle her.

"Edward," she answered with a soft smile. My name fell from her lips in a breathy sigh that went straight to my groin. If Carlisle had any doubts about my feelings for her before, they were surely gone now. To make things worse, Emmett had suddenly appeared next to Carlisle and was rubbing his hands and grinning like a fool.

_Alright, Eddie boy, let's see you explain all this to your lady friend!_

**a/n Let me know what you think. Reviewers will get a teaser for chapter 6.**


	6. Secrets and Lies Part II

**a/n ****Thanks as always to GemmaH for all her help with this chapter and tigerlilylace for beta'ing this.** **I'd just like to point out that I have no medical experience whatsoever, so I may have taken some liberties with Bella's injuries.**

**Disclaimer: SM owns everything Twilight related. I just own a huge pile of Xmas presents that need wrapping.**

**Secrets and Lies Part II**

**BPOV**

I could hear voices, but they sounded far away and very faint. I struggled through the fog inhabiting my brain and tried and make out what they were saying. My eyes felt heavy, and as I forced them open the hushed voices that had awoken me, immediately ceased. My eyesight was a little blurry at first and I felt kind of funny. When I eventually focused on what was in front of me, I could feel a big, goofy grin spread across my face.

"Bella?"

"Edward?" I breathed, my voice barely more than a whisper. It sounded slightly off somehow and I shook my head in an attempt to clear it.

_Big mistake!_

My vision swam and I quickly shut my eyes and laid back onto the cushions.

"Hey, careful," Edward softly cautioned me. "Carlisle gave you something for the pain; you might feel a little lightheaded."

_Oh, that would certainly explain it._

I opened my eyes again and looked over in the direction of his velvety smooth voice. My breath caught at the sight before me.

Edward, clearly fresh from the shower, stood between two men I didn't recognize, wearing a pair of low slung jeans and _nothing_ else. I reflexively licked my lips.

I obviously hadn't paid attention when we were in the car, because although I'd thought Edward was hot, I hadn't realized exactly how fucking hot! _Must pay better attention, Bella!_ I scolded myself.

My wandering eyes traveled over his messy bronze hair, down past his intense golden eyes, along his perfectly chiseled jaw and came to rest upon his mouth. Mmm…his mouth; how I'd like to kiss that mouth. It took all I had not to sigh audibly at his beauty.

_He's so pretty, _I thought, in my drug induced happy state.

Loud laughter interrupted my ogling.

_Oh no! Did I say that out loud? _Clearly, drugged Bella has _no_ filter!

Edward cleared his throat and I realized I'd been caught staring. Again. Aahh…and there was my blush. Just awesome! I met his gaze and watched, entranced as his eyes appeared to darken.

"What happened?" I finally thought to ask. "What am I doing here? And where exactly is here, anyway?"

Edward sighed and ran his hands through his still damp hair. I watched, transfixed, as a drop of water fell from his hair and landed on his shoulder. I followed its path with my eyes as it trickled slowly over his pecs and along his finely sculpted torso.

_Holy Mother of God! _

I'd never seen anything so beautiful in my entire life. I felt my nipples harden and wetness pooled between my thighs. I didn't dare look any lower, for fear my nether regions would explode.

Oh God! I was staring again. _Cut it out Bella and get a handle on those hormones! _Whatever they had given me for the pain had turned me into a wanton hussy! My eyes snapped to Edward's; he had a tense expression on his face and was pinching the bridge of his nose.

_Oh shit! _

Could he see my nipples? I tried to subtly check by sneaking a quick look down at my chest. Thankfully, I was covered by a thick, woolen blanket.

After a long pause, that seemed to last forever, Edward decided to finally introduce us.

"I'm sorry, Bella. Where are my manners?" He turned slightly and gestured to the two men behind him.

"This big oaf here is my brother, Emmett." Emmett grinned at me and waved.

"Hey, Bella. Nice to meet you." He looked like he wanted to say more, but kept quiet.

"Yeah, you too" I replied.

"And this," Edward said pointing to the devastatingly handsome man next to Emmett. "Is Carlisle, my father." Carlisle looked over at me and smiled warmly.

"Hello, Bella. I was sorry to hear about your father."

"Thank you," I said, wondering briefly if he had known my father, before my attention returned to Edward's naked chest. I imagined what it would be like to run my hands over it. Through my foggy, drug addled brain, a thought slowly occurred to me.

"Edward?" I asked, trying not to lose focus as I stared into his beautiful eyes again.

"Yes, Bella?" he replied, smirking slightly.

"Why do I need pain meds?" I tried moving to see if anything hurt, and stopped abruptly as pain shot through my body.

"Ouch!" I yelped.

"That's why you need the pain meds," Edward replied, softly.

I heard a chuckle from behind Edward, and then Emmett's booming voice.

"Well, I guess we should leave you two love birds alone so you can explain, eh Pretty Boy?"

"Emmett!" Edward hissed at him.

So, I did say it out loud. Oops!

"Oh, and Edward, you better put a shirt on, the poor girl looks like she might pass out." He clapped him on the shoulder, laughing as he left the room. I was beyond mortified to have been caught ogling Edward by members of his family.

"I'll leave you to explain everything then." Carlisle said, trying unsuccessfully to hide a smirk.

"Thanks." Edward replied.

"Edward?" he added, stopping just inside the doorway. "We'll talk about that other thing later."

Edward nodded his head in acknowledgment and then turned his attention back to me.

-oxo-

I tried to pay attention to what he was saying, I really did, but my eyes were getting heavy again and I ended up just watching the way his mouth moved.

"Bella? Are you listening to me?" He waved his hand in front of my face and I was forced to look him in the eyes.

"I'm sorry. I must have drifted off for a minute. What were you saying?"

"I said." He spoke slowly this time, as if I was a child. "Do you remember going into the forest with Jake this morning?"

"Oh my God! Jake!" I tried to sit up as it all came flooding back to me, but Edward gently pushed me back down before my head started to spin again.

"Where is he? Is he OK? He left me in the forest, he was gone so long and then _they_ came, they were so big and I was...so...frightened...I..." I'd started to hyperventilate as the memories of this morning's events streamed through my mind and I rushed to get it all out.

"Sshh, Bella," Edward soothed. He was now kneeling next to the sofa and tenderly stroking my cheek. "You're safe now, I've got you. Jake is fine, don't worry. Sshh..."

I concentrated on his hand, which was still on my cheek, my breathing now in time with his thumb strokes. Eventually, I'd calmed down enough to be coherent again,

"I have so many questions, Edward. I don't know where to start." My head was spinning. The last thing I remembered was waiting to be attacked by a giant wolf, and now here I was on the sofa in Edward's house. I looked up at him pleadingly, hoping that he could explain at least some of what was going on.

He seemed to take a deep breath, as if psyching himself up for something, and then he began to speak.

"Why don't I tell you what I know, then if you still have questions, you can ask them at the end. How does that sound?"

"Yeah, OK." I nodded in agreement and settled back into the cushions waiting for him to start.

"Well," he began. "Jasper and I were out walking this morning in the forest, not far from where you and Jacob happened to be. We noticed Jacob and thought it unusual for a member of the Quileute Tribe to be out here, so we went over to talk to him. I guess we kept him talking too long, that's why you were left on your own and for that I am deeply sorry."

He carefully tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear and I felt my eyes flutter closed as he continued speaking.

"He mentioned that he'd left you in the clearing, so we were on our way back to you when we saw the wolves. We got there as fast as we could, Bella, but I had to push you out of the way and you fell and hit your head. Our arrival seemed to scare the wolves off and they left. You were unconscious, so I thought the best thing would be to bring you back here and ask Carlisle to check you over, since he was the nearest doctor."

It seemed to make sense, sort of, I was still a little confused about some things but my head was starting to ache and my eyelids felt heavy.

"I've never seen wolves that big, have you? I asked, barely hanging on to consciousness.

"No, I haven't" he replied. "But I understand from Jake, that it's not unheard of for them to get that big around here.

"Oh." I just managed to get it out before my mouth stretched in an enormous yawn. Edward chuckled and started to get up.

"I think that's enough for now. I should leave you to rest."

"Wait!" I almost shouted. He looked back down at me raising an eyebrow.

"You still haven't told me what happened to Jake. I know you said he was fine, but where is he? Why isn't he here?" Unfortunately, my little outburst finished me off and I only caught the first part of Edward's answer, before my eyes closed and I was fast asleep. Apparently, Jake had returned to La Push to warn people about the wolves in the forest, but that was all I heard as I drifted off into the blackness.

-oxo-

I was rudely awakened sometime later by the demanding, no-nonsense voice of my best friend.

"Where is she? I want to see her! Bella?"

I could hear other voices answering her, trying to calm her down.

"Let her sleep for a bit longer, Alice, she's had quite an eventful day and needs her rest. We'll need to wake her up in twenty minutes anyway because of her concussion, so just let her be for now."

I recognized the voice as that of Carlisle and I briefly wondered where Edward was. I slowly opened my eyes, letting them adjust to the light.

"See? She's awake!" Alice whisper-yelled, running over to me. "Oh, Bella. Look at you! Jasper told me what had happened, but he said you were fine. Are you OK? Carlisle explained to me all about your injuries, but they wouldn't let me wake you up. I'm so sorry, I had a bad feeling about this morning and I should never have let you go." Alice was talking a mile a minute, her hands gently ghosting over my blankets as if checking for any further damage. I wiggled my arms free from under the blanket and took both of her hands in mine.

"Don't be silly, Alice." I admonished her softly. "None of this was your fault. Besides, apart from being a little sore and tender in places, I'm perfectly fine."

She raised one of her perfectly arched eyebrows at me, not entirely convinced.

"Well, there's also my fucking awful headache," I added grinning at her. This caused her to laugh out loud and gather me up in a tight hug.

"There's the Bella I know and love!" she whispered in my ear.

"Ow...Alice. Can't breathe..."

"Oh fuck! Sorry!" She squealed, immediately releasing me. I winced as my delicate ribs were freed, then snuggled back under the covers.

"What are you doing here anyway, Al?" I asked her, suddenly wondering how she knew I was here. It was then I realized what she had been saying before. "What do you mean _ Jasper told you_..?"

"Oh...um...well..." she stuttered, a faint blush staining her cheeks. Alice never blushed. Ever. She leaned in so our heads were close together, whispering in my ear.

"He came by to get a change of clothes for you, since yours were all messed up." It was my turn to blush then as I wondered briefly what sort of state my clothing was in.

"Anyway, I made him come in and explain everything. We chatted for a bit and _you know_..." She trailed off.

"No, Alice," I replied, smirking slightly. "I don't think I do know."

She huffed, giving me the look that said she knew exactly what I was up to.

"Well, Bella. We got to know to each other a little better. A _lot _better, actually," she said, giggling. "He is so fucking hot! I thought I was going to die from pleasure when he was just kissing me. Can you imagine what sex will be like?"

_Wow_, _Alice sure was a fast worker_. If I was being honest with myself, I was more than a little jealous of her progress. I could only imagine what it would be like to kiss Edward. I let out a small sigh.

"Oh don't worry, Bella. I'm sure it won't be long before Edward kisses you." She read my mind as usual. "You should have seen the way he was looking at you when I walked in, it was like he wanted to eat you."

I stole a look over her shoulder and sure enough there was Edward, unfortunately, now wearing a shirt, looking intently at the two of us. Alongside him were Jasper and Emmett, Carlisle clearly having left already. I really hoped they couldn't hear our conversation from over there. I was almost certain we'd been whispering, thank God.

My eyes made contact with Edward's and I felt a shiver run through my body. A slow smile stretched across his face and he winked at me. I gasped and felt another blush creep over my cheeks as a pleasurable burn began deep in my groin. Oh God, I would never last the rest of the evening under the same roof as him. I needed to go home, soon.

"Bella?" Alice's amused voice cut into my thoughts.

"What?" I snipped at her, a bit of sexual frustration creeping into my tone.

"I don't want to interrupt your shameless ogling of Edward, but I brought you a change of clothes and your overnight things."

"My overnight things?" I squeaked. "What for?"

"Because we are staying the night, obviously," Alice answered, looking at me like I was an idiot. "Carlisle wants to keep you here overnight because of your concussion. He'll need to wake you up at regular intervals, just to be safe. There's no way I'm leaving you here alone, so I am staying too."

"Oh." I nodded, meekly. A whole night together. Admittedly, we wouldn't be alone, but still, it was going be tough. Hopefully, I would be asleep for most of it.

"You try and get some more rest," Alice said, patting my leg before getting up. "I'll see if I can rustle up some food for you. You must be starving." I was just about to answer, saying I was fine, when my stomach growled loudly.

"Oh, you are hungry. I'd better hurry, before you decide to eat me!"

I rolled my eyes at her as she walked off laughing, in the direction of the boys. I watched as she stopped in front of Jasper, spoke to him for a few seconds and then gestured in my direction. They were immediately joined by a beautiful woman with caramel colored hair and the same golden eyes as the others. She took one look at me, nodded to Alice and then they both disappeared into the kitchen.

"That was Esme, my mother." Edward's soft voice startled me.

"Ahh!" I gasped. I'd been so intent on watching Alice that I'd not noticed Edward's approach.

"Sorry," he said, looking a little sheepish. "I didn't mean to scare you, Bella."

I melted a little at the way my name sounded coming from his lips. I wanted to hear him scream it, out loud. I smiled at my dirty thoughts, thankful at that particular moment that Edward couldn't read my mind. My face however was another story altogether and I realized I'd probably telegraphed my filthy mind with the heat that was currently coloring my face.

Edward coughed a little, shifted in his seat on the edge of my sofa and ran his fingers through his gloriously messy hair. He was so not helping!

"Esme and Alice are making you something to eat. Alice said you were starving."

"Oh, are you and your family not eating?" I asked. I didn't want to put them out if they weren't going to be joining me.

"Um...no. We ate earlier while you were asleep," he replied.

I thought I heard snickering from behind Edward, but when I peeked round him to see who it was, there was no one there. I must have imagined it, stupid drugs! Edward obviously noticed I was looking for someone because he leaned in conspiratorially and whispered.

"They've all gone. We're alone now." He stared deeply into my eyes and I could hardly breathe. His gaze traveled from my eyes to mouth and back again.

_Holy shit! He's going to kiss me!_

I licked my lips in anticipation and I swore I heard him growl a little.

He was so close to my mouth I could feel his cool breath on my lips. I inhaled sharply and he took the opportunity to press his mouth to mine. His kiss was gentle yet firm as his lips moved slowly against mine. His hand came up to cup my cheek and I relished the coolness of his palm against my overheated skin. Somewhere in the back of my mind it registered that he felt much colder than I was expecting, but I pushed the thought away and lost myself in his kiss. I would ask Alice about it later.

He leaned into me, pressing me further into the cushions. My hands snaked up and around his neck, finding their way into his hair, like I'd imagined doing every time I'd laid eyes on him. I pulled him impossibly closer and he responded by slipping his other hand to the back of my head, anchoring me to him. The kiss seemed to last forever and I was fast approaching the end of my air supply when he finally pulled away, leaving me gasping.

"Wow!" I breathed. I guessed the kiss had rendered me speechless, because that spectacular piece of prose was all I could come up with. A huge smile lit up Edward's face and he looked achingly beautiful. The hand that was still cupping my face moved slightly so his thumb now traced back and forth over my swollen lips.

"I want to do that again," he said, still grinning. "May I?"

Like I was going to refuse, especially since he asked so nicely. Instead of answering him I grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him roughly to me.

"I'll take that as a yes," he mumbled against my lips. The second kiss was full of want and need, both of us gripping tightly to the other. I gasped as his hand moved tentatively down my body, grazing the side of my breast. He took the opportunity to slip his tongue into my mouth and I groaned shamelessly.

"Ahem..."

We broke apart reluctantly, but I was then mortified to see that it was Carlisle who had interrupted us.

"Couldn't this have waited ten more minutes?" Edward asked him.

Carlisle snorted.

"I really don't think another ten minutes would have made any difference, do you?" he replied, looking between the two of us with an amused expression.

"No, probably not." Edward gave me a chaste kiss on the side of my mouth and stood up.

"Bella," Carlisle approached the sofa and lifted his black bag for me to see. "I'd like to check your injuries if that's OK, with you?"

"Yes, of course. Thank you." I looked up at Edward, hoping he would see that I wanted him to stay. He smiled reassuringly and didn't make any move to leave.

"I'll need to check your ribs, are you ok with Edward staying?" Carlisle asked, clearly trying to warn me that I might have to get a little naked. I knew Edward and I had just shared a mind blowing kiss or two, but I wasn't about to show him the goods for the first time in front of his father. The thought alone made me shudder! I looked from Edward to his father, not knowing what to do. I didn't want to ask Edward to leave but I didn't want him to see me either.

Thankfully, he saw my dilemma and took the matter out of my hands.

"Don't worry, Bella," Edward said softly, turning around so his back was facing me. "I promise not to look."

I breathed a big sigh of relief and nodded to Carlisle that he could start his examination.

-oxo-

It appeared I was healing as expected and at the minute there were no complications from my accident, but Carlisle still wanted me to remain on the sofa where he could keep checking on me periodically. Alice and Esme appeared with the most delicious smelling food just as Carlisle was packing up his bag. He'd given me another shot for the pain, which he'd said should start to kick in after about 30 minutes. I'd better get my food down me before I passed out.

Edward helped me sit up a little, fussing over me every time I flinched from the pain. After eventually getting me situated high enough so that I could eat, Esme passed me my dinner on a tray.

"There you go Bella, I hope you like it," she said as she handed me the tray. I took a deep breath and the smell made my insides clench, I was so hungry. "I'm Esme, by the way, Edward's mother. We can talk more, later on, when you're feeling better." She smiled warmly at me and turned to leave.

"Thank you for making this, and for letting me stay here while I recover."

"It's no problem, really. Enjoy your dinner." With that she left, smiling lovingly at Edward as she walked past him. I took a bite of the pasta and almost moaned at the taste, turning towards Alice who was now seated with her own tray on the sofa opposite me.

"This is fabulous," I said to her, with my mouth still half full of food. "Did you help with this?"

"Manners, Bella," she scolded me, rolling her eyes. "No, Esme made it all. I just watched. She's an awesome cook, you should see her kitchen. You would love it!"

Jasper had now joined Edward and they were talking quietly off to the side.

"Bella?" I looked up at the mention of my name. "Jasper and I are just going outside for a minute. I won't be far away and will be as quick as possible. Just enjoy your dinner, Ok?"

"Ok." I smiled and watched his fine ass as he and Jasper left the room.

I sighed as he disappeared from sight and went back to eating my dinner. After a few mouthfuls, I felt Alice's eyes on me and I chanced a quick look in her direction, she was studying me with a knowing look on her face.

"He kissed you, didn't he?" It was more of a statement than a question. How the fuck did she know already? There was no point denying it, and I really didn't want to either.

"Yes, he kissed me." Alice squealed and I was sorely tempted to cover my ears.

"I told you it wouldn't be long!" She was always right; I should never have doubted her.

-oxo-

We spent the next half an hour finishing our food and talking animatedly about everything that had happened throughout the day. With my stomach pleasantly full, I could feel my body growing heavy and it was getting increasingly difficult to keep my eyes open. My pain meds were starting to take effect.

I interrupted Alice mid-sentence as she was telling me, in graphic detail, about Jasper's hands-on approach to kissing.

"Alice…need to sleep. Meds...kicking in...sorry."

I could feel myself drifting off and I barely registered the tray being lifted off me and someone helping me to lay back down on the sofa. I could hear the hum of several raised voices, but I was too far gone to make anything out. I made a mental note to ask what they were taking about, when I woke up later. For now though, I was lost to my blissful drug induced sleep, hoping it would be filled with erotic dreams of Edward.

**a/n I know it may seem that Bella has easily accepted everything Edward has told her without question, but remember she is still under the influence of pain meds and has a concussion. I'm sure she will have lots of questions when she is thinking more clearly!**

**Please review and let me know what you think. Reviews will get a teaser, but remember to allow PM's or I can't send you one.**


	7. Unexpected Guests

**a/n Thanks as always to GemmaH for all her help with this chapter and tigerlilylace for her awesome beta skills.** **Huge thanks to those who are reading and especially to those who leave a review. I love reading them. I'd just like to point out that I have no medical experience whatsoever, so I may have taken some liberties with Bella's injuries.**

**Disclaimer: SM owns everything Twilight related. **

**Unexpected Guests**

**EPOV**

"_Edward"_

When my name fell from her lips in a breathy whisper, I thought I was done for. But when her gaze traveled the length of my body and I sensed her arousal, it took all the restraint I had in me, to not run to her and take her right there on the sofa, regardless of who was watching. I knew she was still under the influence of her pain medication, I could smell it in her blood, so her actions were most probably influenced by this, but the lust rolling off her in waves was testing my control to its limits.

Unfortunately, I wasn't the only one who had noticed. Carlisle's expression was unreadable though, and he was doing his best to block his thoughts from me. Emmett, on the other and was sporting an enormous grin and I could hear him loud and clear.

_Oh Eddie, Eddie Eddie! Have you been keeping secrets again? This girl sure has got it bad for you, I can smell-_

"Emmett!" I hissed at him, too quiet for Bella to hear. I couldn't stand to have him talking about her like that, even though her scent was overwhelming, he needed to know when to shut the fuck up!

_Rose is gonna be so pissed __at__ you!_

I ignored him and turned back to Bella. She asked what had happened and I sighed, running my hand through my hair, closing my eyes for a minute. When I looked up, I caught her staring at me again; her eyes locking on my torso as she blatantly checked me out. A fresh wave of her arousal hit me full on and I felt my jeans tighten as desire flooded my body.

_Holy fuck! Was she trying to fucking kill me?_

I shifted position slightly, trying to find a bit of relief without looking obvious, when she whispered something so quietly, I was not sure she intended to speak it out loud.

"So pretty..."

We had no trouble at all hearing it though and Emmett immediately burst out laughing. I would never live that down.

_Fucking Emmett_.

She seemed to snap out of it when I cleared my throat. After I'd introduced her to Emmett and Carlisle, they left us alone so that I could explain everything, or at least try to. Carlisle reminded me to be careful with what I told her, on his way out.

_Remember Edward, she can't know about us or the wolves._

I didn't fucking need reminding, I knew the consequences of Bella finding out would not be pretty.

-oxo-

I told her about Jasper and I meeting with Jake in the woods, and the consequent run in with the wolves, trying to stick to the truth as much as possible. I hated lying to her at all, especially when it was clear that she trusted me, but it was necessary. She started freaking out about Jake at one point, wanting to know where he was and if he was OK. I struggled to find the right words; I couldn't exactly say, _"Well Bella, Jake is actually part of the pack of wolves that attacked you Oh, didn't I mention that he and his La Push buddies can change into big fucking wolves? My bad. While we're on the topic, my family and I are vampires." _No, even if I was allowed to tell her, I couldn't see that explanation going over too well, at all.

I ended up telling her, instead, that he'd gone back to warn the rest of the Quileute's about the possible danger. I'm not sure how much she heard though, as she fell asleep while I was still talking.

I tucked the blanket securely around her, and left her to rest.

It wasn't too long after that I heard Jasper returning, with Alice in tow. I went out into the foyer to meet them and raised an eyebrow at him as they came through the front door.

_I had no choice, _he thought,_ she forced me!_

I stifled a laugh as I looked at Alice. The thought of that little thing forcing Jasper to do anything was just comical. He gave me a pointed look and an image of him and Alice in a compromising position, flashed across his mind. Oh, so that's how she _forced_ him. I couldn't help it and laughed out loud this time, she had him whipped already, but I quickly stopped when Alice shot me a death glare. She was a scary little thing.

"Something funny?" she asked, not looking at all amused.

"Um..."

"Shouldn't you be with Bella? You know, the injured girl you brought to your house, instead of the hospital."

This time Jasper laughed as he led Alice past me into the living room. No wonder he did as he was told. Carlisle and Emmett appeared then, as if like magic. Carlisle had come to check on Bella, and who knew why Emmett was there.

"What's with all the humans around here?" he said, under his breath so Alice wouldn't hear. "Was it 'buy one, get one free', in town today?" He laughed at his own joke, as Carlisle just shook his head and told him to be quiet, saving me a job.

We joined Jasper and Alice in the living room, where Carlisle stupidly tried to stop Alice from waking Bella up. She flashed him the same glare as I'd gotten earlier and marched over to her anyway, declaring that she was already awake. Carlisle looked over at me and Jas, expectantly. We both shrugged, none of us quite sure how to handle Alice.

We left the girls catching up, while Jasper, Emmett and I discussed the morning's events between ourselves. We occasionally stopped to make fun of Jasper, when Alice began telling Bella all about kissing him.

Alice returned after a while, taking a moment to let Jasper know what she thought about his underplaying of Bella's injuries. Esme arrived soon after, introduced herself to Alice, the both of them then disappearing into the kitchen to make Bella something to eat. After they were out of sight, I stole the moment to be with Bella. She asked if we were all eating, but I told a little lie and said we'd already eaten, earning a laugh from Emmett who was somewhere in the house. I only planned on talking to her, but when I sat down on the sofa, her delicious smell invaded my senses and I couldn't help myself.

I leaned in and kissed her, hard, pushing her further into the cushions. She fisted her hands in my hair and pulled me towards her. My groin ached to grind against her, to show her what she was doing to me. But I reminded myself that she was just an injured human, so I needed to take it slowly. I eventually drew back, letting her have some much needed air. Her eyes were dark and her heart was beating wildly, I immediately wanted to do that again and I told her so.

I moved in hungrily to take her lips back in mine, my hand moved to gently stroke the side of her breast. I wanted nothing more than to brush my thumb across her nipple, to feel it harden under my touch. Unfortunately, we were rudely interrupted by Carlisle.

_Put the girl down Edward. Apart from the fact you shouldn't be getting involved, she is injured and in our care. She doesn't need you pawing at her, she needs rest._

He cleared his throat for Bella's benefit. We reluctantly separated and I noticed the blush coloring her cheeks._ Lovely. _Damn Carlisle.

I waited, at her request, while he checked her over. Thankfully, she seemed to be doing as expected and he gave her another shot for the pain. Carlisle left as Esme and Alice appeared with food and the girls sat down together to enjoy their dinner together. I was debating whether to stay or not, when Jasper caught my attention.

_Edward, we have company._

I left the girls and walked over to him, so that we could talk freely, without being overheard.

"Who?" I asked, trying to detect their thoughts. I could just make out three minds outside; I knew who they were right away, even though they were blocking their thoughts.

"Wolves," we said at the same time. I wondered what they wanted. They had some nerve coming over here, so whatever it was, it must be something important. We had an agreement, a treaty, that had been agreed upon many years ago with the elders of the tribe. We weren't allowed on their land and they weren't allowed on ours. Technically, they were now breaking the treaty and we would be well within our rights to attack them. I thought about Bella, lying injured, and the thought became very appealing. I fucking hoped Paul was out there.

Jasper sensed the change in my mood and put a restraining arm on my shoulder.

"Carlisle says we are only to talk to them," he urged.

"I don't fucking care what they have to say, Jas! They could have killed her today, and probably would have if we hadn't been there!"

I shook off his arm and ran my hand through my hair, trying not to lose my temper.

"I know, man. But let's just go out there and see. We can always kick their asses afterwards." He grinned at me, trying to lighten my mood. I grudgingly agreed and told Bella I had to leave for a little while, before following Jasper outside.

-oxo-

Carlisle was already outside with Emmet and Rosalie. I cocked an eyebrow at her, silently asking where she'd been.

"Keeping away from you two and your new playthings," she responded, with a smirk, understanding exactly what I meant. I knew Rosalie wasn't keen on having humans in our house, so it was no surprise she'd been absent.

Jasper and I moved quickly to stand by Carlisle, just as the pack arrived, having already phased back into human form. I recognized them as Sam, naturally, Jake and fucking Paul. I snarled and made a move towards him.

_Edward, No! Just hear them out first._

Carlisle's thoughts stopped me in my tracks. I just glared over at Paul, silently begging for him to make the first move. It looked like I was going to get my wish, until Sam snapped at him to calm down. If someone didn't start speaking soon, things were going to turn nasty.

"To say I'm surprised to see you here after this morning's events, would be an understatement." Carlisle's voice broke through the silence.

I saw Jacob shake his head, before Sam shot him a look that had him hanging his head again. I got a brief image of Jacob's dad, Billy, before their thoughts were all blocked again. What the fuck was that about?

"Yeah, about this morning," Sam replied. "We weren't actually going to harm the Swan girl; it was all a big misunderstanding. We'd smelled vampires in the area and were just investigating, some of the pack got a little excitable, that's all."

_Fucking liar._

I wanted to rip his lying tongue out. I heard Rosalie snort next to Carlisle, she didn't fucking believe him either.

"This is the second time you've ventured onto our land, Sam. In one day," Carlisle began. "Is the treaty no longer in effect?"

"That's the reason we are here Carlisle. You see, times have changed and the treaty that you agreed to with my ancestors, is now old and out of date." I saw Paul grinning, as Sam spoke.

"Really," Carlisle said, his voice like ice. "I take it you have a new proposal?"

"Yes." He smirked. "It's quite simple really. There are no land boundaries anymore, for us that is. But you and your family are still forbidden on Quileute land. Basically, we'll stay out of your way, if you stay out of ours. That means no interfering in our business, like today for example..."

"You can't be fucking serious?" I spat. There was no way we could look the other way while they did what they pleased. Especially if it involved Bella.

"I told you they wouldn't go for it," Paul replied, smugly. "He's too fucking attached to the girl. It's disgusting!" Jake bristled at his comments, but said nothing.

"Are those your new terms?" Carlisle asked. My head snapped round to look at him, was he going to fucking agree?

_They don't leave us much choice Edward. Do you want to be on the look-out for wolves every time you leave the house? We'll just have to keep a close eye on them._

"Yes, take them or leave them."

"What about other vampires?"

"Unless we agree otherwise, they are fair game. We need something to keep us amused." Sam and Paul laughed at this and I shuddered at the thought of what they would do to any vampires that came here unannounced.

I suddenly remembered Charlie and what I'd learned earlier. Should we just turn a blind eye to that too?

"What about Charlie?" I said, looking directly at Paul. "He wasn't a vampire, so what's your excuse for killing him?"

Paul lost his smug expression momentarily, looking worriedly at Sam, before regaining his composure. Sam's thoughts were unguarded in his anger.

_How the fuck did he know that? Did you tell him? You fucking idiot, Paul!_

Paul looked understandably confused, neither of them knew I had plucked it out of Jacob's mind.

"Charlie was an unfortunate accident," Sam eventually responded.

"Really?" I scoffed.

"Yes. Charlie and Paul got into an argument, Paul lost his temper and phased too close to him. Charlie's injuries were just too severe and he died before help could get to him. It was an accident."

I didn't believe him for one fucking second, but I couldn't say anything as I didn't want to reveal my talent just yet.

"I take it you will keep a better handle on that temper, in future?" Carlisle asked the question to Paul, but Sam answered for him.

"Yes. There will be no more _accidents_."

I didn't like the way he stressed the word accident, but I let it go. Like Carlisle had said, we'd just have to keep a close eye on them all.

"Right. I think we're done." Jasper spoke for the first time, effectively ending the meeting. There was really nothing else to discuss.

"Fine. Just keep out of our way, and we'll keep out of yours."

Sam and Paul turned to leave, but Jacob hung back slightly. He'd been silent for the whole time, but I sensed he had something to say now.

"How's Bella? Is she OK?"

"Yes," I replied. "She has a few bruises but not too bad. Her—"

"Jacob!" Sam's loud voice interrupted me mid-sentence. I looked questioningly at Jacob, but he just shrugged and shook his head, before turning to go.

"Tell Bella, I said hi," he whispered over his shoulder, and then all three of them phased, disappearing off into the forest.

"Well that was interesting," Carlisle said, still looking in the direction of where the wolves had disappeared.

"What the fuck did we just agree to, exactly?" Jasper sounded as concerned as I felt.

This is not how things used to be. The treaty was there to supposedly 'protect' the people of Forks from me and my family, but these wolves just didn't seem to give a fuck. Add that to the fact they had blatantly lied about Charlie and there was definitely something dodgy going on at the Reservation.

"They didn't leave us much choice; I don't want to be anticipating a wolf attack every time we go hunting. Do you?" Carlisle repeated to Jasper, what he had 'said' to me earlier. "We do however need to keep a close eye on them, or try to."

"What about Bella?" I asked him. The wolves clearly had a problem with her and I didn't want to let her out of my sight.

"Well, considering today's events, we should keep watch on both girls for the time being. I don't think you two will have a problem with that, will you?" he said, a slight smile playing about his lips.

"Be very careful, though. I see how close you're both getting to them and its dangerous, to say the least. If either of them should start to suspect anything, please come to me first before doing anything rash." He looked at me as he added the last statement. Why is it always me?

We both nodded and all three of us headed back inside, but were stopped by Rosalie.

"Just a minute, did I miss something? What was all that about Charlie?"

"Yeah, what was all that about?" Emmett and Jasper asked in unison.

Shit! I'd totally forgotten that no one else knew about Charlie, other than Carlisle. I quickly explained to the others what I had read in Jacob's thoughts. They were all as shocked as I'd been.

"What the fuck is up with those fucking wolves?" Emmett was as eloquent as ever, but he had a point.

"I have no idea what's going on, but we need to be on our guard at all times," Carlisle said, looking at each of us, before finally heading through the door, where we followed one by one.

-oxo-

Once inside, I hurried to the living room to check on Bella. Our meeting with the wolves had me all on edge and I wanted to make sure she was OK. I stopped, just inside the door and smiled at the sight before me. Bella, all snuggled up in her blankets, was fast asleep on the sofa and snoring softly. I walked over to her and gently swept a stray lock of hair behind her ear, before bending down and pressing my lips ever so softly to her forehead.

"She fell asleep while I was mid-sentence, can you believe her?" Alice chuckled softly, so as not to wake Bella.

I knew Alice had been awake, so her voice hadn't startled me, I turned to answer her and caught Jasper leaning down to steal a kiss. She turned her face up to meet him and the look they shared was so intense, I felt like I was intruding. I quickly looked away again, moving to gaze out of the windows, which now showed the forest at dusk.

"I'm just going to give Alice a tour of the house," Jasper said quietly, his voice interrupting my thoughts.

_A tour of the house? Is that what they're calling it these days?_

A gave him a knowing look, but he shook his head slightly.

_Really man, I'm gonna show her around. Nothing funny._

With that, he escorted Alice towards the door to leave, but not before she'd left me with her parting comment.

"We won't be gone long, Edward. So don't get any ideas. Ok?"

"Of course not," I replied, rolling my eyes at her.

They left, pulling the door closed behind them. I moved over to the sofa next to Bella's that Alice had previously occupied, and sat down. She looked so peaceful and innocent in her sleep, I was content simplt to watch her. She was so oblivious to the world she had been thrust into. I felt the need to watch over her every second.

I sighed, rubbing my forehead as if that would show me a way to make this all OK. I shouldn't be kissing her. It was encouraging a relationship that was not possible, especially with the wolves threatening to strike at the least offense. Was I putting her in danger by just being near her?

I watched the blankets covering her rise and fall with her every breath.

"Edward."

My eyes quickly found hers, expecting to find her awake and watching me, but they were still tightly closed.

_She was a sleep talker._

The way she lovingly whispered my name stirred something deep within me, my previous dark musings all but forgotten as I waited eagerly for her to say more. I didn't have to wait long.

"Stay with me, Edward. Don't leave, I'm scared."

She started to toss and turn under the covers, a pained expression marring her beautiful face. I could bear it no longer and moved swiftly to the other sofa, taking her hand in mine.

"Sshh...Bella. It's just a dream." I smoothed her hair back from her face with my other hand, stroking my thumb over her cheek bone. Her eyes fluttered open and after a few seconds she focused on me and smiled.

"Edward, you're back," she whispered.

"Yes. I told you I wouldn't be long."

I looked into her deep brown eyes, searching, for what I was not exactly sure. She wet her lips in anticipation and the urge to kiss her again was almost overpowering. My worries from earlier began to surface as I struggled with wanting to kiss her and knowing I shouldn't. The decision was taken out of my hands, however, as the living room suddenly filled with people.

"I told you not to get any ideas, Edward. What are you doing over there?" Alice asked suspiciously as she and Jasper returned from their 'tour'.

"Nothing, she was having a nightmare I think, so—"

"Ah, Bella. You're awake, excellent," Carlisle interrupted, following Jasper and Alice into the room. He had his medical bag with him, so I guessed it was time for another check-up.

"Anyway," I sighed, realizing my alone time with Bella was well and truly over. "She was having a nightmare, so I was just trying to comfort her." I finished telling Alice.

"Mmm..." was all she said, smirking slightly.

-oxo-

When Carlisle had finished with Bella, she and Alice decided to get settled down for the night. Alice was going to stay with her on the other sofa, so that she'd have some company. Carlisle planned to check in periodically throughout the night to monitor Bella's condition, so Jasper and I decided to go and hunt. We said our goodnights to the girls, giving them chaste kisses and left as though we were going upstairs to our own beds.

I pulled the living room door shut and turned to Jasper.

"So, are you ready?"

"Yeah, let's go."

"Wait just a minute," Rosalie said, walking casually down the stairs towards us. "I'm coming with you."

We both groaned. Having Rosalie tag along was like being babysat.

"Suck it up boys, it was Carlisle's idea."

"Is Emmett coming?" At least if he came too, then Rosalie would be occupied. As gross as that may be.

"No. He's going to stay here with Carlisle and Esme; they'll go when we return."

That sounded like we were hunting in shifts. Was Carlisle that worried about the wolves, I wondered?

"Is this because of the wolves?" I asked her.

"I think so. He's just being cautious, you know how he is." Rosalie shrugged as if it were no big deal, but the fact that Carlisle didn't want us going out in less than groups of three had me a little concerned.

"Are we going? Or do you want to stand around chatting all night?" She laughed at our expressions and shot through the door, Jasper and I hot on her heels. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.

I felt my worries fade away a little as we chased after Rosalie, speeding through the forest. I figured I'd better enjoy the relative calm while it lasted. Carlisle had given Bella her last lot of pain meds tonight, so by the morning her head should be a lot clearer as they made their way out of her system. I had a strong feeling that she'd have a lot more questions tomorrow, and wouldn't be as easy to fool when she had all her wits about her. I briefly wondered if she'd noticed how cold I was, when I had touched her earlier. I pushed that thought to the back of my mind, determined to deal with it only when _and if _I had to.

Jasper and I took our time hunting, getting our fill before returning back to the girls. Once all three of us were done, we made our way back to the house to trade with the others. I retired to my room for the rest of the night, being downstairs with Bella would be too much of a temptation. I passed the hours reading and listening to music, until the early rays of the sun began to shine through my window. I heard movement downstairs and knew the girls were beginning to stir. I quickly changed clothes and headed down to greet them, both eager and wary to discover what the day would bring.

-oxo-

**a/n I posted an Alice/Jasper outtake of their first kiss last week, if you want to check it out. **

**http:/www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/s/6552379/1/Dark_Wolves_and_Vampire_Delights_Outtakes**

**This will be the last update for at least 2 weeks due to the holidays. **

**Hope you all have a lovely Christmas and New Year!**

**Please review and let me know what you think. Reviews will get a teaser, but remember to allow PM's or I can't send you one.**


	8. Questions

**a/n Thanks as always to my prereader GemmaH for all her help with this chapter and tigerlilylace for her awesome beta skills.** **Huge thanks to those who are reading and especially to those who leave a review. I love reading them.**

**Disclaimer: SM owns everything Twilight related. **

**Questions**

**BPoV**

I held tightly onto Edward's arm as we walked through the forest, for once the sun was out, but the surrounding trees shielded us from its warmth.We stopped near the edge of a clearing and he suddenly turned me so that my back was pressed up against a nearby tree trunk.

His eyes drank me in as they traveled over my body and I shivered in anticipation under his lustful gaze. His fingers gently swept over my cheek as he tucked a stray piece of hair behind my ear. His touch was cold, far colder than I was expecting and I looked up at him in surprise. A pained look crossed his features, before being quickly replaced with one of determination.

He brought his other hand up, so that he held my face gently but firmly, he looked deep into my eyes and I forgot all about his cold fingers as I stared into his golden depths.

"Edward..." I sighed. My breath then catching as he lowered his lips to mine.

"Sorry to disappoint you Bella, but it's just me." A voice, which was definitely not Edward's, sang all too cheerily in my ear.

My eyes snapped open as I was rudely torn from my dream, when Edward was about to kiss me, only to find Alice's hands on my cheeks, not his.

"Alice!" I whined. "I was just getting to the good bit!"

She cocked an eyebrow at me, knowingly, as she let go and stood back up.

"I guess I don't need to ask what, or should I say _who, _you were dreaming about."

I blushed, of course, and Alice laughed at my embarrassment, but thankfully let the subject drop.

"I woke you up," she continued instead, "because it's nine o'clock in the morning and I thought you might like some breakfast."

My stomach rumbled as if on cue, and Alice just smirked as she disappeared into what I hoped was the kitchen. Now that she'd mentioned food, I realized I was actually starving. I couldn't recall how much I'd eaten the day before. Alice reappeared moments later carrying a tray filled with bacon, eggs, toast and coffee. God, I needed that coffee. I noticed she only had one tray with her.

"Where's yours?" I asked.

"Oh, I ate earlier, you know I can never sleep past 7am, Bella." She replied, settling down on the other sofa to watch me eat. It didn't take me long to polish off the whole thing, Alice just watched with a mixture of awe and disgust on her face at my speed eating. She took the tray from me and set it down on the floor, where I noticed her overnight bag sitting next to the sofa.

"You stayed here, too?" I vaguely recalled her coming round yesterday, but the details were a little hazy.

"Yes, Bella." She looked a little confused. "Don't you remember? Jasper came to get a change of clothes for you and I made him bring me here with him. I wasn't about to leave you with a bunch of virtual strangers, now was I.?" She smiled at me and I thought again, how truly lucky I was to have Alice.

"Do you remember anything about yesterday?" she asked me, an odd expression on her face. Almost like she knew something I didn't. "I know Carlisle gave you some strong pain killers to start with, he said some things might be a little muddled."

I tried to think back to what had happened yesterday, it all seemed so long ago, like it had happened to someone else.

"I remember going to the forest with Jake, seeing where Charlie had died." I felt the familiar stab of pain just thinking about Charlie's death, but I pushed it back down, not wanting to deal with it right now. I took a deep breath and tried to recall more of the days events.

"Jake left me, to relieve himself, and then I was attacked by giant wolves! Fuck, Alice! I saw giant motherfucking wolves yesterday!" I would have laughed at the absurdity of that statement, but unfortunately my memory of that particular event was crystal clear.

"I know, Jasper told me. You were very lucky they got there in time. I shudder to think what might have happened." She literally shivered as she spoke.

"Have you heard from Jake? Edward said he was OK, but I thought he might have been by to see how I was."

"Jasper told me that they'd spoken to him and told him you were doing well, so I assume he's called. If he stopped by, I didn't see him." She replied, playing absently with her finger nails.

"Mmm, Jasper seems to be telling you an awful lot, lately." I racked my brains to remember more from yesterday as Alice raised her eyes to mine and grinned. My mouth dropped open, as I began to recall parts of our conversation.

"Oh. My. God! I remember now! You two totally made out didn't you!"

"Not so loud, Bella." she shushed me, still smiling though.

"While I was lying here on my death bed! How could you Al?" I pouted, trying to give her my best evil stare. She rolled her eyes at me, not believing I was mad for one minute, probably due to the fact I couldn't keep the smile from my lips.

"Oh, please! You weren't that bad." She laughed, sitting back a little and folding her legs underneath her as she got more comfortable. "Besides, I wasn't the only one who got a bit of action yesterday," She raised her eyebrow at me, "was I? _Bella_."

"What do you mean?" as I said the words, memories flooded my mind, Edwards lips on my lips, Edwards hands on my face, Edward's...

"Holy Shit!"

"Indeed!" Alice said, looking smug. "You weren't very subtle with your shameless ogling of the poor boy yesterday. You dirty girl!"

"Takes one, to know one," I said, sticking my tongue out at her.

"Touche!" She answered, and we both started to laugh. It felt good after everything that had happened.

"So,"she asked, after we had calmed down a bit. " How are you feeling today?"

I tentatively stretched out my muscles, going very slowly in case there was any sudden pain. I was still very sore, but felt a lot better than I had yesterday. My headache was virtually gone now, which was a huge relief.

"Not too bad." I eventually replied as I slowly sat my self up, swinging my legs out from under the covers. I felt a little lightheaded at first, but it soon passed. The blankets slipped down my body and I shivered a little at the cold air.

"Um.. Bella? You might want to put some clothes on." Alice gestured to my bare torso and legs.

"Oh!" I exclaimed, a little panicked at who might have undressed me.

"Don't worry, it was me. Your clothes were dirty and just eww, so I cut them off when you were asleep." She said it so matter-of-factly, like it was nothing to remove your best friends clothes when she was sleeping.

"What?..But.." I couldn't think of how to respond to that, so I just gave gave up and accepted it. "Fine, just pass me some clean ones, will you?"

With a little help from Alice, well a lot actually, I managed to get dressed and sat back down on the sofa, while Alice insisted on folding up all my blankets. My head was definitely a lot clearer this morning, and I found I had lots of questions beginning to surface, one in particular kept going round in my head.

"Alice?" I decided to just get it out there.

"Yes?" she stopped folding and sat down with the blanket in her lap.

" You know when Edward touched me in the car, his hands were so cold but we put it down to the weather?" I looked at her and she nodded for me to carry on.

"Well, now that I remember, when he kissed me yesterday, they were still just as cold, if not colder." I wasn't sure what this meant but it wasn't normal, that's for sure. Alice was unusually silent and I began to get a little worried.

"Al?"

"Jasper's are the same. I noticed it yesterday when we were...um...kissing and stuff. It's not just his hands either."

My eyes widened and my mouth fell open in shock Again.

"Alice Brandon! You didn't-"

"No!" she cut me off. "Of course not! I meant when I touched his skin elsewhere, " she narrowed her eyes at me, "like his arms and his face, they were cold too."

I hadn't expected this, perhaps it was some hereditary disease? I was about to discuss it further with her, but I never got the chance. Before I could open my mouth, we heard shouting and laughing, then Edward bounded into the room, closely followed by Jasper.

"Bella," his velvety voice washed over me. "You're up. How do you feel?" He made his way over to me, a huge smile lighting up his beautiful face.

I tried to put all those other thoughts on hold, to discuss with Alice later, but something must have shown on my face because he stopped a few steps in front of me, his smile faltering slightly.

"Hi" I said, forcing a smile. "I'm feeling much better, thank you."

His smile disappeared completely and I felt a pang of guilt for having been the cause. He glanced between Alice and I several times, before finally letting his eyes settle on me. His stare was intense, I wanted to look away, but I just couldn't get my brain to function enough to do it.

"I'm pleased to see you're feeling better", he said, finally breaking our connection as he spotted the folded blanket on Alice's lap.

"I guess you ladies are eager to get back home. Now that Bella no longer needs monitoring, there's nothing keeping you here." He looked right at me as he said it, with the same pained expression he'd had in my dream. I know he was referring to our kiss yesterday and I blushed as I remembered the feel of his hands on my body as he'd ground his hardness against me.

The mystery surrounding his cold skin seemed unimportant in that moment, I wanted to feel his lips on mine again and maybe carry on with what we'd started earlier, before we were rudely interrupted by Carlisle. I felt my blush deepen and as I looked at Edward, I saw his expression change as he obviously realized what I was thinking about.

He smiled at me, his good mood quickly returning and I couldn't help but smile back at him. He was breathtakingly handsome when he smiled, I almost forgot that Alice and Jasper were in the room as I watched him close the last bit of distance between us. I stole a quick glance at them out of the corner of my eye, only to find that they were no longer with us.

Good. We were alone.

I wanted to talk to him about a lot of things, but first I wanted a repeat performance of that kiss. My recollection was hazy in places and I wanted to try it while I was fully alert this time.

"Edward, I -"

"Ahh, Bella. I see you are up and about, and looking much better I have to say." Carlisle's voice interrupted us yet again.

_For fuck's sake! _He was becoming the cock-blocking king!

Edward looked over at him raising an eyebrow, he shook his head slightly in return, like they were having some private conversation. Carlisle then turned his attention back to me, Edward let out a long sigh, running his hand through his gloriously messy hair and sat down next to me, close but not touching.

"Well, Bella. Let's take one last look at those injuries, shall we? Then I think you should be able go home."

With that, he opened his black medical bag and began.

-oxo-

After Carlisle declared me fit to go and made sure I had enough pain killers for a family of ten, Alice and I were eventually ready to go back to Charlie's house. We gathered up our overnight bags, thanked Esme and Carlisle for their hospitality and for taking care of me and headed out the door, Jasper and Edward leading the way, carrying our belongings. Emmett was nowhere to be seen, so I asked Edward to say goodbye for us.

Since neither Alice or I had our cars with us, the boys had offered,or should I say insisted,to drive us home. This was fine by me, I was more than happy to prolong out time together.

The ride home was filled with eager chatter form Alice and Jasper in the back, I swear they were separated at birth! Although considering what they had gotten up to together, that was kind of ick, so lets just say they were getting on very well. Edward and I were a different matter entirely. The tension in the front of the car was so thick I could have cut it with one of Charlie's fishing knives. I had so much I wanted to say and ask, but it didn't really seem like the right time. Instead we both made do with stealing subtle, or not so subtle in my case, glances at each other.

When we eventually pulled up outside my house, I was almost relieved to be getting out into the fresh air. I opened my car door and was about to get out, before I felt Edward's cold hand on my wrist. I couldn't stop the soft gasp that fell from my lips at his touch, he quickly withdrew his hand and when I looked at him questioningly, he just shook his head slightly and mouthed the words, 'another time' to me. I chose to let him off this time, but I would definitely remind him of it later, assuming there would be a later of course. Oh God, what if he didn't want to see me again?

My doubts were put to rest with the next few words that left his mouth.

"Bella?" My name rolled off his tongue like honey and it took me a while before I remembered I was supposed to answer.

"Yes?"

"Could I possibly have your number? I'd very much like to see you again if that's ok?"

I wanted to squeal with excitement and maybe jump up and down, but instead I settled for trading numbers with him and saying that I would very much like to see him again too. The smile he graced me with had me melting into my seat, I made a mental note to make him smile like that more often, though not too often as I don't think my hormones could take it!

I said goodbye with a chaste, but still a little hot, kiss and walked carefully to my front door. I didn't need to trip and make my injuries ten times worse! Alice followed a little more reluctantly, after removing her tongue from down Jasper's throat. She clearly had no issues with his icy touch. We watched them drive off as I unlocked the door, only venturing inside when their car had disappeared from view.

Once inside, I dumped my keys on the table in the hall and walked through to the living room, collapsing, albeit carefully, onto the sofa. Alice paused just inside the door, a big grin plastered on her face.

"Well, that was fun!" She refrained from clapping her hands, but I could see the urge was there.

"Yes, I saw how much _fun _you and Jasper were having_." _I teased.

"You're just jealous that you didn't get to play with Edward's tongue some more!"

"Eww, Alice." She was right, I was totally jealous.

"What's going on with you two anyway?" she asked, coming to join me on the sofa.

"One minute you're all lips and hands, the next you're like no touching at all. Are you still worried about him?"

I was at a loss how to answer her. Yes I was curious and if I was honest, a little concerned about the strange things I was beginning to notice about Edward and his family. But I still felt drawn to him and I wanted to do things to him that I really shouldn't at this stage in our relationship. If indeed that's what it was. I chose to ignore her question for the moment, asking one of my own instead.

"Alice?"

"Mm?"

"Don't you think they're all a little strange?" I looked over at her as I spoke, she had her eyes closed, her head resting against the back of the sofa.

"Who?"

I rolled my eyes at her, even though she couldn't see me.

"The Cullens. I mean, look at them, they're all so fucking hot!" My self confidence had taken a big hit being in that house, everyone was so good looking. We hadn't even seen Rosalie, I hated to think what _she_ looked like!

"And," I continued, before Alice had time to answer, "Did you ever see them eat? No wonder they're all so fit. Don't you think it seems like they're all part of this big secret and -" She interrupted before I could get anything else out.

"Yes, Bella. I noticed all of these things, and while I'll agree that they all seem a little strange, there's just something about them that draws me in. I get no bad feelings from being around Jasper, only good and that's all I care about at the minute." Her tone was verging on annoyed, it was the first time Alice had ever spoken to me like that and I was, quite frankly, a little shocked.

She'd opened her eyes at this point and turned her head to look at me, while I just stared with my mouth hanging open a little. She reached out her hand and gently closed my mouth, stroking the side of my face and sighing.

"I'm, sorry. I didn't mean it to come out like that, at all. It's just been so long since I've felt the things that I feel, when I'm with Jasper. He makes me come alive, and whatever it is that they're hiding, there's nothing I can think of that would make me not want to be with him.

She dropped her hand back into her lap and closed her eyes again, while I took a moment to digest what she'd just said. Did I feel the same way about Edward? I just wasn't sure. When I was with him, it was so easy to forget about everything but once I was alone, it all came flooding back. There was no denying the attraction I felt toward him, he was breathtaking. There was a pull between us, unlike anything I had ever felt before, but even so, I was still cautious. I couldn't just ignore it all like Alice, I wanted to know what what going on with Edward and his family, preferably before I got too attached to him. I had strong suspicions that this would be easier said than done. I was already falling hard, and I doubt he was just going to tell me anything if I asked him outright.

The shrill ring of my cell cut through the silence, startling me and making Alice jump about three foot in the air.

"Arghh!" she screamed clutching her chest. "That scared the shit out of me!

"You don't say," I replied, laughing at her.

"I thought you would've changed that God awful ring tone by now."

I ran to wrestle the phone from my bag, before whoever it was calling hung up. I know they'd only just left us, but I secretly hoped it was Edward, maybe I could get him to meet me and we could have a little talk. There was no time like the present to start my quest for information.

It turned out to be Angela, she'd be leaving in a week and wanted to make those lunch arrangements we'd mentioned. I invited her round to Charlie's the next day, seeing how the only other place to eat was the diner and she spent enough time in there as it was. After arranging the time and assuring her she didn't need to bring anything, we hung up and I filled Alice in on the plans for tomorrow.

"So, what do you want to do now?" she asked, our little disagreement from earlier totally forgotten. That's another thing I loved about Alice, she could say what was on her mind and then move on, there was never any lingering resentment, she went straight back to being her usual cheery self.

"Well..." I started, not sure whether to ask or not.

"Oh just spit it out, Bella!"

"I was wondering if we could have another look through Charlie's case files for those missing people. We didn't get to finish the other night and I'd like to see if we could find out what Charlie was on to, if anything."

"Of course we can. Come on, lets go." She jumped up, grabbed my hand and practically dragged me up the stairs. Alice on a mission was a sight to behold, if a little scary.

-oxo-

We sat on the floor in Charlie's bedroom, papers spread out all around us. There were six missing person's reports altogether. Four of them were filed with the Forks PD, the other two were from the surrounding areas. Charlie had obviously been in contact with the neighboring police departments.

He also had reports on two bodies that had been found, cause of death – animal attack. Just like his own death. I avoided looking at the gruesome pictures and skimmed through that bit of the report too, the interesting bit was that both bodies had been found in the forest surrounding Forks. Granted they were miles apart and nowhere near where Charlie had been killed, but it still sent a shiver up my spine. It seemed like he'd thought they were connected somehow and I was beginning to agree with him.

From what we'd read, it appeared the first attack had occurred about a year ago. An eighteen year old girl had gone missing while out camping with her family. She'd gone for an early morning walk and never returned. The most recent attack was Riley Smith, who we'd discovered in our earlier search. I looked round at all the reports and information, my head was starting to hurt so I gently

rubbed circles on my temple, trying to relieve the ache.

"Why don't we give this a rest for today, go make dinner and watch a movie or something." Alice suggested, getting up as she spoke and holding out her hand to me.

I took it gratefully and let her pull me to my feet. She was awfully strong for someone so small. We spent the rest of the day and evening, sprawled on the sofa watching TV. After looking at all those awful reports for hours on end, it was exactly what we needed to switch off for a bit. We both decided on an early night as we had a few bits to do in the morning before Angela arrived for lunch. I gave Alice a hug at the top of the stairs and said goodnight, before going into my room and closing the door. I'd let Alice sleep in Charlie's bedroom because I just couldn't face it. Thankfully she didn't seem to mind, or didn't mention it if she did.

I shut my eyes, mentally preparing what I was going to cook for lunch with Angela tomorrow, before drifting off to sleep as my thoughts wandered to golden eyes and cold hands.

**a/n Please review and let me know what you think. Reviews will get a teaser, but remember to allow PM's or I can't send you one.**


	9. Gone

**a/n Thanks as always to my prereader GemmaH for all her help with this chapter and tigerlilylace for her awesome beta skills.** **Huge thanks to those who are reading and especially to those who leave a review. I love reading them.**

**Disclaimer: SM owns everything Twilight related. **

**Gone**

**BPOV**

I got up early the next morning, eager to start preparations for our lunch with Angela. It was probably going to be the last time we saw each other for a long while and I wanted to make it a bit special. I'd decided to go with lasagne, accompanied by garlic bread and salad. Unfortunately, it seemed I was missing one vital ingredient, _garlic_ . I felt sure we'd bought some on our previous trip to the store, but I couldn't find any anywhere.

"Alice?" I called at the bottom of the stairs.

"Good God, Bella! What the hell are you doing up at this time?" She laughed, appearing at the top of the stairs, her hair wrapped up in a towel, obviously fresh out of the shower.

I ignored her teasing.

"I just need to run into town to get a few things for lunch," I told her. "Do you need anything?"

"No, I don't think so. Thanks."

"Ok, I'll see you in a bit, then" She gave me a wave over her shoulder and danced back into her bedroom, presumably to finish getting ready. I grabbed my keys and made the short trip into town.

-oxo-

I rushed round the store, eager to waste as little time as possible. Thankfully it was almost empty at this early hour so there was no line at the checkout. I was in and out within 15 minutes.

On the way back to my truck, I heard my name being called from behind me. I spun round quickly to see who it was.

"Bella Swan?"

I didn't recognize the young man jogging towards me, but from his russet skin and dark hair, not to mention the size of him, it was obvious he was from La Push. I hastily loaded my shopping onto the passenger seat and shut the door as he reached me.

"Can I help you?" I said, moving round to the driver's side. I didn't want to appear rude, but Charlie had taught me not to talk to strangers, even if he was probably a friend of Jake's.

"I'm Jared, " he said, holding out his hand. I leaned forward to shake it, but quickly stepped back as soon as I let go, maintaining my distance. He looked at me expectantly, like the name should have rung a bell, but I really had no idea who he was. I stared at him, a little while longer, waiting for him to give more than just his first name. He eventually seemed to realize that I didn't recognize his name and started talking.

"I'm sorry, I just thought your Dad might have mentioned me."

I immediately bristled at the mention of Charlie, looking him over a bit more closely. He had my full attention now.

"Why would he have done that?" I replied, not really caring that my voice suddenly sounded cold. Charlie had never mentioned anyone named Jared to me, so I was understandably suspicious.

" I helped with his missing person investigations."

Well that was news to me. There was no mention of this in any of his notes and why would my father, the Chief of Police, need help from a Quileute teenager? It didn't make any sense to me.

"Forgive me for being so blunt, but what could you possibly have helped my father with?"

He looked a little upset with my question, but I didn't really give a shit at the moment.

" I...um.." He shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot, so I raised an eyebrow at him, waiting. "I was showing him around the forest. We know a lot of the trails around here and I was showing him where the bodies had been found."

I swallowed audibly at this bit of macabre news. I guess it would sort of make sense after all, the Quileute boys knew the woods like the back of their hands.

"I was supposed to be with him, you know... on _that_ day..." he let the sentence trail off. There was no real need to finish it, we both new which day he meant. I felt an irrational surge of anger flood through me at the thought that Charlie shouldn't have been alone. I knew deep down that it wasn't Jared's fault, my father had a mind of his own, but at that moment I wasn't thinking too clearly.

"Well, where the hell were you?" I snapped, my anger making him step back slightly.

"I was sick, I couldn't even get out of bed." He dropped his eyes to the ground, his shoulders hunched. "I'm really sorry Bella, you have no idea how much I wish I'd been there."

When he looked back up at me, his eyes were nothing but sincere and I felt shitty for attacking him.

"No, Jared, I'm sorry. I know it wasn't your fault." I let out a long sigh and leaned back against my truck.

"I've been going through his papers." I said. "Trying to see if there are any clues as to why he was out there. Did he tell you anything?"

"Not really. He said I was too young to know details."

"Yeah," I smiled. "That sounds like Charlie. Look, it was nice to meet you Jared, but I need to get going." I pulled open the door, but he stopped me before I could climb in.

"If you want to ask me about any of it, your welcome to come to the Reservation. I might not know much, but the offer's there."

I was a little confused by that statement and I told him so.

"But, Jacob said it's not a good time to visit the Res at the minute."

"That's because Jake's -"

"Fucking right, It's not a good time!"

We both turned sharply at the sudden interruption as Jake stormed towards us, Jared looking suitably chastised as Jake glared at him.

"I think you're done here." Jake practically growled.

Jared took one last glance in my direction, before leaving quickly with a mumbled 'bye Bella'.

I crossed my arms over my chest and narrowed my eyes at Jake.

"What the hell was all that about?" I ask, incredulously.

"I told you before, Bella, the Reservation isn't a good place to visit at the minute and that goes for some of the people too."

"But Jared said-"

"I don't care what Jared said!" he shouted at me. "You shouldn't even be talking to him!"

"Why?" My voice rising to match his.

He stared at me, his mouth opening and closing a few times, but nothing coming out. He closed his eyes, took a deep breathe and decided to ignore my question.

"How are you feeling?" His voice was much softer now, as he tried to change the subject.

"Fine," I replied, still a little snippy. "Not that you seemed to care much."

"What do you mean? I came by to see you, that night."

"You did?" I asked. Alice had said he'd only phoned, but I didn't think he was lying. He toed the ground for a second before answering.

"Yeah, but you must've been asleep or something."

"Anyway, Stop trying to change the subject. Why shouldn't I be talking to Jared"

His shoulders dropped in defeat and he stepped closer to me.

"Please, Bella." he almost whispered, his voice soft and pleading. "Don't come to the Reservation and stay away from Jared. In fact, it probably better if you just avoid anyone from La Push."

He looked so sincere, I couldn't help but nod.

"Oh, does that mean I have to stay away from you too?" I asked, smiling slightly and trying to lighten the mood a bit. He didn't smile back though.

"Probably." It was said so quietly, I'm not sure I was supposed to hear.

"Look, I promise to stay far away, ok?"

He relaxed slightly and a small smile played around his lips.

"Thank you, Bella."

"I really need to get back." I said, checking my watch. Shit! Where had the time gone? "Angela is coming for lunch and I 'm already behind."

I saw his eyes light up at the mention of food.

"Not today, Jake." I laughed. " It's a girls only lunch."

"Fine, fine."he said, smiling and holding up his hands. "Another time?"

"Yeah, sure. I'll call you."

I stepped up and gave him a quick hug before climbing into my truck and heading home. I shook my head as I drove, chuckling slightly, I swear that boy's moods were going to give me whiplash.

-oxo-

I made it home with just enough time to get lunch ready before Angela arrived. Alice helped by making the salad, as I replayed my run in with Jared and Jake at the store. She was as baffled as I was about Jake's ban on all things La Push, there was definitely something odd going on over there and my curiosity was in overdrive. With the mystery surrounding the Cullens and now the strange happenings down at the Reservation, it was almost more than my mind could handle.

Angela and I caught up on the last six years over lunch, filling Alice in on some of our High School antics as well. By the time I fetched us all coffee and cake, I'd managed to steer the conversation back to Forks. According to Angela, things had started happening a year ago. The Quileutes used to come into Forks all the time and then over the course of about 3 months, it got less and less. Now it was only about five or six of them that ventured in, she hadn't seen Billy in months.

In the back of my mind I recalled that the first person to go missing had been about a year ago, I made a mental note to check, after Angela had left.

"Didn't anyone think it was odd?" I asked her. Surely someone wondered why they'd stopped coming into town.

"Yeah, at first." She answered, "But they always seemed to have a valid explanation, in the end we just stopped asking."

It still seemed a little odd to me, but I let it go. I wonder why Charlie had never mentioned anything?

We chatted for about another hour, before Angela had to go. We exchanged email addresses and promised to keep in touch and not let our friendship slide again.

-oxo-

I followed Alice into the living room after we'd clean up our lunch dishes and we both collapsed onto the couch.

"What the hell is going on here Al?" I said, even more confused after chatting with Angela. What had happened to the sleepy town I'd graduated from six years before. I hardly recognized the place. I know I hadn't visited much over the last few years, but how had I missed all this? I let out a long sigh and rubbed my forehead, all this information was starting to give me a headache.

"I have no idea what it used to be like around here, but from what Angela said, something does seem a bit off." She replied, rubbing my arm. "We can always leave, Bella. We can pack up Charlie's things if you want and sort everything else out from our place in Seattle."

"What?" I dropped my hands into my lap and turned to look at her. "No, I'm not ready to go back just yet." There were too many questions I wanted answers for, and who was I kidding, I wanted to see a bit more of Edward as well. _Literally_.

"Oh, thank God." Alice grinned at me. "I haven't had nearly enough of Jasper yet!"

She got a dreamy look on her face, obviously thinking about something Jasper related.

"Come on Alice," I said, slapping her on the thigh, "Let's -"

I didn't get to finish my sentence as I was interrupted by the shrill ringing of my phone. I snatched it off the table to stop the noise before Alice shouted at me again. It really was the most annoying ring tone. I caught her eye as I checked the Caller Id, she had one eyebrow raised and was not amused at all.

"I'll change it I promise." I mouthed and I read the name flashing on my phone.

_Jacob? _

What could he possibly want now? I sighed and thought about ignoring it, but curiosity got the better of me, again.

"Hey, Jake. What's up?"

"I was wondering what you and Alice were up to? I need to go into Forks for some stuff and I hoped you'd both meet me for coffee."

Really? I'd only seen him this morning, why on earth would he want to meet up again so soon?

"To be honest Jake, I can't really be bothered to drive into town again, Alice and I were just going to chill here." I looked over at her and she nodded in agreement gesturing that I should invite him over here. I didn't really want to, but didn't want to be rude either.

"Why don't you come over to us instead?"

"No." he almost shouted and I flinched a little at his tone. " Sorry, its just I won't have much time and I really wanted to see you both."

"Um..." I was getting an odd feeling about this.

"I have some papers for you, that Jared found. I think they're to do with Charlie's investigation"

Well, that piqued my interest, there was no way I wouldn't meet him now and he knew it.

"Ok, fine. What time?"

"Can you both meet me at the diner at say, 4pm?"

"Yeah, ok. See you later." I hung up without waiting for him to reply and informed Alice about our change in plans.

"I don't know Bella, I'm getting another funny feeling about this."

"I know Al, me too, but it's only Jake. He might have been a little strange on the phone just now, but I still trust him."

"Mmhmm," she said, narrowing her eyes at me. "That's what you said last time and look how well that turned out"

She had a point, but we were meeting at the diner for fuck's sake, how much trouble could we really get into?

-oxo-

"Come on, Bella.!" Alice yelled from the bottom of the stairs."We're going to be late."

"I'm coming, I'm coming."

We'd decided to freshen up a bit before meeting Jake and as a result I was now scrambling to get ready. Alice was already downstairs of course, tapping her foot impatiently. I quickly pulled my hair up into a high ponytail, grabbed my jacket and rushed downstairs.

Alice held a finger up for me to be quiet as I reached her in the hall, she was on her cell, listening intently to whoever was on the other end. She checked her watch and then nodded as she spoke.

"Yes, ok. I can have it to you by 5pm." Another pause, "No that's fine, really."

She said goodbye and ended the call, putting her bag back onto the hall table. I guess I would be going on my own.

"I'm sorry, Bella. There's an issue at work that I really need to sort out."

"That's ok. I can go meet him on my own."

"Are you sure?" she asked, looking a little guilty

"Yes, don't worry."

"Thanks." she said giving me a quick hug. "It should only take an hour or so, I'll be finished by the time you get back. But, make sure to call me if you need anything ok?"

"Ok, see you later." I waved as I closed the door and headed to my truck.

-oxo-

Jake was already waiting for me as I pulled into the diner, leaning against the passenger side of his car. I pulled up into the space beside him and hopped out.

"Hi," he greeted me, looking over my shoulder expectantly. "Um.. Bella? Where's Alice?"

"Oh, she had a work thing to take care of at the last minute, so you're stuck with me I'm afraid." I grinning at him, expecting him to come back with some teasing comment. But I was sorely mistaken.

"What?" he shouted at me. "I specifically told you both to come!" he started pacing in front of his car, grabbing handfuls of his hair.

"Shit!" he cursed. "Shit! Shit! Shit!"

"What the fuck's the matter with you Jake? It's just coffee." I ranted at him, I fucking hated being shouted at. "So Alice couldn't come, big deal. I don't see what your fucking problem is!"

I turned to get back in my truck, I was in no fucking mood to sit and have coffee with him now. I pulled open the door, but before I could get in I was tugged back by my elbow.

"Wait, Bella!" I spun round to face him, shaking my arm free and getting angrier by the second.

"What the fuck for?"

"You can't go back home yet." he pleaded.

"Why not?" A cold shiver ran down my spine as I watched him. Something was very wrong. He shifted uncomfortably under my glare but still didn't answer me.

"Fucking answer me, Jake?" I almost screamed at him, "Why cant I go home?"

He looked up at me and I froze at the look of dread on his face.

"I can't tell you why, but you need to get Alice out of there now." His voice was eerily calm, I felt all the anger leave my body only to be replaced by fear.

I dropped my bag to the floor as I frantically searched in it for my cell, dialing Alice's number as soon as I found it. Everything seemed to be taking far too long in my panicked state. I tapped my foot on the ground impatiently as I waited for her to answer.

"Pick up, pick up." I muttered, holding my breath as I listened to it ring. "Come on, Alice!"

After what seemed like forever, she answered and I almost cried with relief.

"Whats wrong Bella is Jake giving you sh-"

"You need to leave the house now, Alice!" I interrupted her.

"Bella? Whats wrong? What do you mean?" She sounded wary, but she wasn't moving.

"Just fucking move Alice, I'll explain everything, just move!"

I know the panic in my voice was probably going to scare her but I needed her out of there now.

"Shit, your fucking scaring me, Bella!"

"Alice! ..." I started to shout at her again but stopped when I heard her grabbing her keys and opening the front door. Thank fuck!

"I'm leaving now, I'll..." Her voice trailed off to silence, I held my phone in a death grip as my heart rate went through the roof.

"Alice?"

_Nothing._

I opened my mouth to tell Jake to get in the fucking truck, when I heard the faintest of whispers.

"Holy shit, Bella..."

"Alice, what is it?"

Silence again, followed by a blood curdling scream and the call was cut off.

"Alice!" I screamed, yanking open the door to my truck and throwing my stuff inside.

"Get in the fucking truck Jake," I yelled at him, my hands shaking too much to get the keys in the ignition.

"Move over, I'll fucking drive." He ordered me, still using that eerily calm voice. I quickly scooted over as he climbed in, I was in too much of a hurry to argue.

He started the truck and peeled out of the parking lot. Now we were on our way, I rounded on him, trembling with a mixture of terror and rage.

"What the fuck's going on?" I wanted to shake him until he told me the truth, none of this _I can't tell you_ bullshit.

"I can't te-" he started to say.

"Don't give me that shit! You know what's going on, so fucking tell me" I could feel my eyes fill with tears and before long I was sobbing uncontrollably.

"What's ..h-happened to..her?" I managed to get out between sobs.

He slammed his fists against the steering wheel so hard that I jumped in my seat.

"I wish I could tell you Bella, you have to believe me." he shouted, glancing over at me as he drove, "but I fucking can't!" He hit the steering wheel again, then lapsed into silence.

I flipped open my phone and called the police, trying to remain calm as I begged them to send a car round, eventually getting them to agree after almost becoming hysterical. I kept trying Alice's number, again and again and again. Each time it rang out, but nobody picked up. I stopped after my 10th attempt, clutching my phone to my chest. I had no idea what the fuck had happened at the house and the drive was taking way too fucking long.

"Can't you drive faster?" I snapped.

"I'm going as fast as I can!" he snapped back.

We turned into Charlie's road and my heart was in my mouth, I was terrified of what we might find when we got there. Jake screeched to a halt on the drive and I was out the door before the truck had fully stopped.

"Bella! Wait!" he shouted after me, but I was almost at the front door and there was no fucking way I was stopping.

The door was open and hanging off its hinges, two long gashes marring the wood. I gasped and my hand flew to my mouth.

"Alice?" I screamed, running through the door. The house was silent.

"Alice? Fucking answer me!" I ran into the living room and lost my footing as I slipped on something wet, falling to the floor in a heap.

Everything moved in slow motion as I raised my hand to see what I'd fallen in. My fingers were dripping onto my jeans, I looked down and it was everywhere, on the floor, on my hands, my shoes, just fucking everywhere!

_Blood._

All the air rushed from my lungs and the scream that so desperately wanted to get out ,died as I fought to breath and hang on to consciousness.

_Oh my God! Please don't be Alice's. Please! Please! Please!_

Hands grabbed my shoulders and I did scream this time, long and loud. I tried to get away, but the blood was just too slippery.

"Bella." someone shouted and shook me roughly. "Shh Bella, it's me, Jake."

That snapped me out of my trance and I narrowed my eyes at him.

"This is all your fucking fault!" I half sobbed, half screamed. "Let go of me, I need to find her!"

He didn't answer me, picking me up instead and forcibly carrying me outside.

"Stay right here, Bella, I'm going to check the rest of the house."

I didn't bother to acknowledge him, I slumped on the porch steps trying not to look at the blood that pretty much covered me from head to toe. I wasn't stupid, it was too much blood for the person to be still alive. I just couldn't let myself believe that it could be Alice's.

Just, no!

Not Alice.

I rested my head on my knees and let the tears fall.

I had no idea how long it was before I felt someone touch my shoulder again, I looked up into Jacob's devastated face and slapped his hand away sharply.

"Don't fucking touch me!" I hissed. He withdrew his hand immediately.

I heard sirens and saw two police cars racing down the street. towards us.

_Better late than never_.

I sat in silence as the police rushed over and tried to talk to me. I ignored all their questions, until they stopped trying and started to ask Jake instead. I heard nothing of what was going on around me, and paid no attention to the police going in and out of Charlie's house. That was until one of the officers came out carrying a blood soaked scrap of clothing.

I recognized it straight away, of course. She'd put it on to go meet Jake.

_Alice's green sweater. _

"Noooo!" I screamed and screamed until my throat hurt.

-oxo-

One of the officers bundled me into a police car, wrapped me in a blanket and took me down to the station to make a statement. I answered robotically, my mind elsewhere as I recounted the afternoon's events. I didn't mention Jake's involvement, since I didn't really understand that myself, yet.

Afterward they let me shower, gave me a change of clothes and asked if there was anyone they could call for me. I was momentarily at a loss, the person I would always call was missing, presumed dead. Fresh tears flowed down my cheeks and an empty feeling settled in the pit of my stomach.

_I was alone._

As I sat there, crying silent tears, I thought of the one person I could possibly call and I quickly handed the number to the officer waiting patiently next to me, before I changed my mind.

-oxo-

It seemed only minutes since the officer had left to make the call, before she was back telling me my ride was here.

"Thank you." I mumbled.

I made my way slowly towards the doors, still in disbelieving shock. I pushed my way through and then I saw him.

_Edward._

When our eyes met, I could tell that he knew and everything suddenly hit me like a ton of bricks. I flew down the steps and jumped into his waiting arms, sobbing into his shoulder.

"She's gone!" I whispered, "Alice is gone."

**a/n *hides*. Please leave me a review and let me know your thoughts. Hopefully we should be hearing from Edward, next chapter.**


	10. Deeper and Deeper

**a/n Thanks as always to my prereader GemmaH for all her help with this chapter and tigerlilylace for her awesome beta skills. Huge thanks to those who are reading and especially to those who leave a review. I love reading them.**

**This chapter is a little longer than normal, Edward had a lot to say.**

**Disclaimer: SM owns everything Twilight related. She doesn't own the bag of pear drops and sherbet lemons that I am about to tuck into!**

**Deeper and Deeper**

**EPOV**

When she slowly pushed open the door and exited the police station, I could tell from the way she walked that it was going to be bad. Her slumped shoulders and bowed head showed me just how devastated she felt, but they were nothing to the pain I saw in the depths of her beautiful brown eyes, when she eventually looked up and saw me.

Gone was the sparkle that I usually found there, wiped away by the trauma she'd experienced earlier today.

She flew down the steps towards me and I caught her as she jumped into my arms, holding her as tightly as I dared while she sobbed into my shoulder.

"She's gone!" she whispered, "Alice is gone."

I knew this of course, not only from the officer who'd called me about Bella, but because I had seen firsthand what had happened to Alice. I held her and stroked her hair as she continued to cry and thought back over the events leading up to this point.

-oxo-

Jasper and I had been keeping a close eye on the girls, ever since our little 'chat' with the wolf pack. I watched as she spoke with Jared outside the store, my initial worries were proved unnecessary as I listened to their conversation and read his mind. Although he was definitely from La Push, he'd been telling the truth about helping Bella's father and about being sick on the day he died. I could tell he felt guilty about not being there, and clearly had no idea about who had actually killed Charlie. I suspect that this was because he wasn't a member of the wolf pack. Yet.

Then Jacob showed up and started shouting and making threats. I noticed Jared slink off and struggled not to race over there when Jacob turned his anger on Bella. His thoughts were jumbled and hard to understand, but I wanted to shut his mouth with my fists for the way he was talking to her. She held her ground though, not taking any of his shit and I smirked at her snippy tone. They parted was after a few more minutes and I felt my fists clench involuntarily as she hugged him goodbye, only relaxing when she was back in her truck and driving away.

Jasper and I decided to go on a quick hunting trip while Angela came over to visit the girls for lunch. We'd not been for a while and I figured that given the way Alice can chat, they should be busy for the next few hours at least.

We made quick work of the hunt, taking down the first group of deer that was unfortunate enough to cross our path. After clearing up and disposing of the carcasses, we took a leisurely run back to Charlie's, well I guess it's Bella's house now.

"I'm going to take Alice on a date." Jasper suddenly blurted out.

I almost stumbled as his outburst took me by surprise. He pretty much thought about Alice none stop, so I'd taken to tuning out his thoughts of late. I managed to regain my footing before slipping, but I still heard Jasper chuckle beside me.

"What sort of date?" I replied. "You can hardly take her for dinner and a movie."

We were nearing the outskirts of Bella's property and we slowed our pace to a walk. Jasper hadn't replied to my question, so I looked over at him with a raised eyebrow as if to say, _well?_

He let out a long sigh and rubbed his hand over his eyes.

"Fuck, I don't know." he muttered. "I just want to spend time with her, I don't care what we do."

"Yeah, right." I smirked, nudging his shoulder. Despite my efforts, I had been privy to some his more entertaining thoughts recently and they all included Alice in some questionable activity and state of undress.

"Well, yeah."he said, returning my smile. "I'd like to do that, obviously. But it's not just about that with Alice, she's special." He looked at me, asking me to understand. "Know what I mean?"

I nodded, because, I understood perfectly. Although Bella and I were way behind them with the physical side of things, the connection I felt with her was like nothing I'd ever experienced before. I wanted to be with her in every sense of the word and I knew exactly what he meant, she was special too.

We came to a stop just inside the tree line, listening for the familiar heartbeats inside. I felt my body hum as I focused in on Bella's, the familiar calmness settled through me when I knew she was near.

"Come on, Bella.!" Alice yelled from the bottom of the stairs."We're going to be late."

_Late for what? _

I stole a glance at Jasper, but he just shrugged, having no idea either.

_No idea why we have to both go and meet Jake, I know he's Bella's friend, but I'm not sure I like him. I get the strangest vibe when he's around._

"Jacob fucking Black!" I hissed as I read the thought in Alice's mind. "They're headed out to meet him _for coffee." _I quickly explained to Jasper when he shot me a questioning look.

We listened intently when Alice's phone rang, halting her movement towards the front door. It looked like only Bella would have the pleasure of the Mutt's company this afternoon. Jasper and I decided to split up after discovering this new development. I would follow Bella into town and he would stay here to watch Alice. Of course what I really fucking wanted to do, was rush over there and tell her I thought it was a bad idea and that she should stay home with me instead. I couldn't do that, however, because that would raise a whole lot of other questions I just wasn't ready to answer.

Yet.

-oxo-

I ran ahead and waited for Bella to arrive at the diner. Thankfully, since Forks was surrounded by forest, I was able to watch the diner undetected, from my hiding place in the trees. I saw Jacob pull in, park and get out of his car to wait.

_Motherfucker, I 'd like to-_

The ringing of my cell interrupted that pleasant train of thought.

"Edward!" Jasper's panicked voiced filled my ears. "It's Alice. _ Fuck Edward! _There's so much blood, she's barely moving and her pulse is so faint. I don't know what to do.. I ...I cant..."

"Shit!"

I didn't want to leave Bella to meet Jacob without my protection, but fuck only knows what had happened to Alice, from the terror and pain in Jasper's voice I knew it was going to be pretty fucking bad.

"Edward?" Jasper shouted, spurring me into action.

"I'm on my way."

I snapped my phone shut and gave Jake and the diner one last look, before setting off as fast as possible back to Jasper and the shit storm that was waiting for me.

-oxo-

I reached Bella's house, searching frantically for Jasper and Alice. The smell of blood assaulted my senses and I almost reeled from the intensity if it. Jasper's words replaying in my head.

_So much blood..._

I raced round to the front of the house, from the state of the front door and the stench that I could smell all around, I knew immediately who did this.

_Fucking wolves!_

I took a deep breath and held it, trying to ignore the burn that the presence of so much blood was creating. Jasper was sat facing away from me, with what I assumed to be Alice, cradled in his lap. I rushed to his side and the sight that met me, stopped me in my tracks.

He did indeed have Alice cradled in his lap, but she was still and so very pale. He was sat, half in a pool of her blood, but that wasn't what I found disturbing. Her head was leaning over to one side, the graceful slope of her neck, laying exposed. A crescent shape bite mark was evident on her skin and as my gaze traveled higher I saw Jasper's mouth, covered in what I could only believe was Alice's blood.

"What the fuck have you done?" I screamed in disbelief.

I looked on in horror at my brother, who had never tasted human blood, but now sat with the evidence smeared all across his face. Maybe I was wrong, maybe it wasn't the wolves who did this.

_Fuck. _

Even though I could see it with my own eyes, I just couldn't bring myself to believe that Jasper had done this, that he had actually fed from her.

He looked up at me, sharply, clutching Alice securely to his chest.

"I didn't do this!" He almost sobbed. "As if I could fucking harm her!"

Hurt flashed across his features and a wave of despair struck me as he realized how little I just thought of him. I was immediately filled with shame for doubting him so quickly, after all our years together.

"I'm sorry." I offered, quietly. " But the blood..." I pointed to his mouth, as a weak excuse for my accusation. He shifted slightly and looked down at the floor, the realization of what he might have done suddenly dawned on me.

"Motherfucker! You bit her, Jasper?" I ask, incredulously.

He looked back up at me and I saw the answer in his eyes.

"Jesus Christ!" I snapped, grabbing my hair in frustration.

"I had to." he snapped back. "She was almost dead!" He looked so distraught, if it were possible he would be crying right now. "You didn't see what he did to her!" he snarled at me.

"Who?" I asking, noticing the way his face has now morphed into an angry mask, his fists clenched as he still held Alice tightly to him.

He replayed the whole scene in his thoughts for me to see.

_Alice rushing out the front door, keys in one hand, her phone in the other as she left the house at Bella's panicked request._

"_Holy shit, Bella..." She whispered, stopping halfway out the door, as a giant lone wolf approached the house. _

_Before she could say anything else he snarled and lunged for her, deadly sharp claws and teeth connecting with soft flesh and bone. _

_Alice screamed._

The vision blurred then as the wolf was suddenly torn from her and thrown savagely back outside. I correctly assumed that's when Jasper got there. They fought, rolling around on the floor, Jasper slammed him up against the front door before kicking him down the steps. The wolf struggled up and stared back at Jasper for only a second, before half limping, half running back into the forest.

I didn't need to ask who it was anymore, because I already knew.

"Fucking Paul!" he spat out.

I stood there for a moment, anger still flowing through my body after seeing the attack in Jasper's mind. It was almost like I'd been there myself. I looked back at him, smiling slightly at the way he held Alice so tenderly in his arms, she was so still and peaceful.

_Still and peaceful?_

Shit!

After a vampire bite, the last thing you'd be, was _still and peaceful._ Something was wrong.

Very fucking wrong.

"Jasper?" I whispered, almost afraid to say it out loud. "If you bit her, she should be writhing in agony by now."

"I know." he answered, his voice sounding flat and empty.

"After the first bite, when nothing happened, I bit her again and again, trying to get the venom into her faster, but there was still no fucking change." His shoulders slumped in defeat, "I don't know what's wrong with her."

Neither Jasper or I had ever changed a human before, but we both knew how it worked from personal experience. As soon as the venom entered her blood stream, it would cause a burning pain, which increased its intensity with time. By now, Alice should have been screaming at worst, in severe discomfort at best. But there was no movement and no sound, just nothing.

When Jasper met my gaze again, I hardly recognized him. His once happy and laid back personality was lost, replaced by sadness and despair.

"I can't fucking lose her now."

I knew then what we needed to do, I wasn't sure that Jas was going to like it very much but it was our only option. We had to move quickly too, I could hear the rumble of Bella's truck fast approaching. I also needed to get away from all this blood, I didn't know how Jas had suffered it for so long.

"You need to take her to Carlisle, right the fuck now. Bella is on her way back and she can't find you two here."

He nodded and stood up, adjusting Alice as he rose.

"Give me your shoes."

He shot me a '_what the fuck?'_ look and I quickly explained that he didn't need to be leaving bloody footprints all over the place. We ran from the house, straight into the forest at the back. I handed Jas his shoes, wished him luck and watched as he disappeared through the trees clutching tightly to Alice.

-oxo-

I'd watched the scene unfold as Bella and Jacob had pulled up in front of her house. I wanted nothing more than to run to her and offer my comfort when I heard her agonized sobs. But I had to watch as he tried to touch, he knew I was here and I'm sure he did it on purpose. I would have smiled when she shouted at him to leave her alone, if I didn't know how upset she was.

When she broke down, at the sight of Alice's blood soaked sweater, I had to bury my hands in the nearest tree, to stop myself from going to her. Instead, I watched helpless as they took her away to the station.

When I got the call to pick her up, I couldn't believe she had thought of me. I ran back to my house to get my car, not bothering to check on anyone inside as I needed to get back to Bella. Only when I had her in my arms, did I begin to relax.

-oxo-

"Jake? Over here."

At the sound of his name, Bella froze in my arms before turning her head so she could see who was shouting him. I followed her gaze and my hold on her tightened as I recognized Sam walking towards him. They began to talk in hushed whispers, I could still hear perfectly clearly and they knew it, but didn't seem to give a fuck.

Jacob explained what had happened, like Sam didn't already know. He looked over in my direction, yeah they both knew I'd been at the house, mine and Jasper's scent would have been easy to detect, not to mention Jas's fight with Paul. I wondered if they suspected what had happened to Alice. I could tell from their thoughts that they had their suspicions, but I wasn't about to confirm anything to them.

It started to get heated when Jacob asked about Paul and what the fuck had happened with Alice , Sam told him about the fight with Jasper and that basically he'd had his ass handed to him by the _fucking leech_. Jake smiled slightly at this, _odd_, I could tell from his thoughts that he was angry about Alice and was just about to have it out with Sam, but he didn't get the chance. Bella had seen the smile on his lips, and before I'd thought to stop her, she'd wriggled out of my arms and was marching over to the two of them.

"Bella?" I shouted after her, trying my hardest to stay at human speed as I hurried after her.

Me shouting her name had alerted them to her presence and they both turned in her direction.

"Bella, I'm so-"

It was all Jake managed to get out before Bella's right fist connected with his jaw. She put all her weight behind it, but being a wolf, Jake was far stronger than normal. I winced as she gasped and cradled her wrist to her chest. It didn't stop her though, I decided to hang back a little and let her get it all out.

"I should have told the fucking police all about you." She spat at him, her tone laced with hatred.

"How you tried to get me and Alice out of the house. I know you had something to do with this and I wont fucking rest until I find out what! This is all your fault and I fucking hate you!"

Jacob looked crushed by her outburst, but didn't say anything to defend himself. Sam on the other hand had this big fucking smirk on his face and I could tell from his thoughts that he was imagining Bella meeting the same fate as Alice. Not fucking likely.

I walked the last few steps to Bella's side and gathered her in my arms, careful to not to touch her injured hand. She leaned into me and I whispered into her ear for her to go wait in the car. She nodded and I reluctantly let her go.

"Cullen." Jake acknowledged me. "I know you were there, what did you do with her?" he looked at me accusingly.

I ignored him however and focused my attention on Sam.

"She's dead, but we didn't want to risk any chance of exposure, so we cleaned up your fucking mess."

It was untrue and although I hated saying the words, I didn't want them to know what had really happened to Alice. I knew the old treaty wasn't really in effect any longer, but there was no telling how they'd react to the fact that we'd essentially broken it. According to the old one, we weren't allowed to bite humans, no matter what.

"Just to be clear, Cullen, next time stay out of our fucking business. If you interfere again your boy won't be so lucky." Sam replied, trying to sound threatening.

"Jasper can take care of himself. You shouldn't have attacked an innocent girl if you didn't want any interference from us. And, " I leaned a little closer to him, "_just to be clear,_ if any of you fuckers come anywhere near Bella , I will rip your motherfucking throats out_._"

"Whatever." he said, trying to sound unaffected by my threat.

Unfortunately for him, his thoughts told me otherwise and I smirked as I turned and headed back to my car and Bella.

-oxo-

I made a quick call to Carlisle before I reached the car. Bella was coming home with me and I needed to make sure Jasper and Alice were nowhere near the house. Thankfully he assured me they were long gone. They, along with Rosalie, were now staying in our cabin up in the mountains, it' was far enough away that there should be no problem with bringing Bella back. I needed Carlisle to look at her hand, and there was no way she could return to her house just yet.

The ride back to my house was silent, I didn't mention any of what happened outside the station and Bella sat quietly, gently resting her injured hand on her lap. She cleared her throat and I turned my head to look at her.

"Um..where are you taking me?" she asked, quietly.

"I thought we'd go to my house. Carlisle can check your hand for you." she looked down briefly at her hand and nodded.

"Ok."

"I thought you could stay there for the next few days," I added. "Since you can't really go back home just yet."

"Oh, of course." she whispered, closing her eyes and letting out a shuddering breath. "Thank you, Edward."

I know it was wholly inappropriate, considering the circumstances, but I couldn't help the warm feeling that invaded my body when she whispered my name. I was more than a little excited at the prospect of having her in my house again for the next few days. I just needed to remember the events that had brought her here and how fragile she was. I wanted nothing more than to take care of her, but I needed to be careful. I suspected my feelings for Bella were far stronger than hers were for me and this was definitely not the time to be expressing them. She needed my comfort and support right now and that would have to be enough.

When we arrived at my house, I took Bella straight up to my room and got her settled in my bed. I left her tucked under my covers, promising that I'd be right back with Carlisle, so he could have a look at her hand.

"Hurry" she said as I opened the door. "I ..I don't want to be alone."

She looked up at me with her broken expression, her big brown eyes full of pain and I wanted nothing more than to run and find Paul, tearing him limb from limb for what he'd done. I reigned in my temper and offered her a small smile instead.

"I promise."

I flew down the stairs and met Carlisle in the kitchen, he'd already grabbed his black medical bag and was preparing to come upstairs. He already knew what had happened from Jasper, but I wanted to talk to him about Alice, and I knew he had questions for me too.

"We'll talk later, Edward. Lets get Bella sorted first."

I nodded and led him quickly back up to my room.

Bella was curled up in a ball, crying softly. I immediately went to her side, sitting on the edge of my bed and taking hold of her uninjured hand in mine.

"Carlisle's going to examine your hand, Bella, then he'll give you something for the pain and to help you sleep.

"Ok." she replied, watching closely as Carlisle took my place next to her.

He gently took her hand, running his fingers over it to assess the damage. I flinched when she gasped from the pain, unable to stop the small growl that rumbled in my chest.

_Easy Edward, I'm trying to help. _

Carlisle scolded me softly in his thoughts.

"I know, sorry." I replied, too quietly for Bella to hear.

It turned out that her hand wasn't broken, just badly bruised. Carlisle wrapped it in a bandage and gave her something for the pain. He left shortly afterward and I promised to join him downstairs, once Bella had fallen asleep.

I was back in my position, sat by her side on the bed. She reached for my hand and held it tightly in hers.

"Will you hold me? ….Please.."

"Of course I will." I replied, there was no way I could refuse her, even if I wanted to. The need to touch her was almost unbearable.

I walked round to the other side of the bed and climbed on beside her, staying on top of the covers. She turned over and snuggled under my arm, resting her head on my chest, her injured hand laying across my stomach. She took a shaky breath in and closed her eyes, her breathing evening out as she fell asleep. I held her against me, my nose in her hair, enveloping myself in her scent. I stayed there for as long as possible, but I could hear Carlisle's impatient thoughts as he waited downstairs for me.

Reluctantly, I removed myself from underneath Bella, sliding the spare pillow into the empty space I'd left. She mumbled something incoherent and snuggled up to the pillow. I bent down, placing a soft kiss against her temple, then left, shutting the door quietly behind me.

-oxo-

The first thing I asked Carlisle was about Alice. What had gone wrong with her change? He didn't seem to think anything was wrong, her body seemed to be going through the changes as expected, but he was mystified as to why she was so quiet. He suggested the only thing we could do, was to wait for the venom to run its course and see what happened. I imagined Jas was less than thrilled at the news and I told him so. He chuckled slightly and told me that Jasper had some very colorful words for him.

I didn't ask what will happen once she does wake up. I have enough on my mind with Bella.

We discussed the wolves and their possible reasons for the attack, both of us struggling to come with a good reason. More investigation is needed, but I won't be leaving Bella's side for the foreseeable future.

She slept all night and for most of the morning, only stirring when I took her up some lunch that Esme had prepared. She ate a little, then went back to sleep as I played with her hair.

I woke her a little later for some more food, she ate more this time and even got up to have a shower, afterward. She asked me to stay, so I settled down next to her on the bed.

"It's all my fault you know." She said, after a while.

"Bella, it's-" I tried to tell her its not, but she wouldn't let me.

"No, it is. I knew there was something funny about his call, I should never have gone and left her. I should never have trusted him." Her voice broke on the last few words and I could tell she'd started to cry.

I wrapped my arms around her, holding her as tight as I dared, while she sobbed against my chest. I smoothed her hair, telling her it wasn't her fault. I wished right then that I could explain everything, then she'd believe that there was nothing she could have done. I wanted to tell her about Alice, that there was still some hope that she might see her friend again, maybe. But I couldn't, so I kept quiet and soothed her the best way I knew how.

Her sobs eventually subsided and I felt her small arms snake up and around my neck. I registered the change in her breathing and I halted my movements on her hair.

"Bella?" I said, cautiously. Hoping I'd read her wrong.

"Alice was right," she answered, her voice muffled slightly by my shoulder.

"About what?"

"Life is too short. I over think things, I need to follow my heart and forget about everything else. You never know how much time you really have."

I heard the tears in her voice as she spoke, obviously thinking about Alice. She took a deep breath, as if to push the hurt back down and lifted her head to look up at me.

"I don't want to stay away from you anymore, Edward."

She placed her lips tentatively against mine and kissed me, softly, barely there. It took all my self control not to grab her and kiss her back, hard, but I knew this was wrong. She was upset, hurting, I couldn't take advantage of her like that.

I took her face in my hands and gently pushed her away.

"Bella. I cant, It's not-"

"Shh... Edward." she interrupted, placing a finger on my lips. "I know what you're going to say. That this is wrong, that I'm only doing this because I'm upset and emotional."

"It is wrong. As much as I want to be with you, I won't take advantage of you. The last two days have been truly awful and you need to rest. This is not what you need right now." I tried to push her back down onto the bed, but she resisted, strongly.

"You're wrong. This is exactly what I need." She replied vehemently.

"I want to feel...something...good. I've felt nothing but lost since Charlie died, ...and now with Alice..." she took a shaky breath to calm herself, "I just... I need this...please."

I shook my head, clinging to my self-control for all I was worth.

"I can't Bella...I'm sorry."

A look of rejection washed over her face and it made my chest ache to know that I was the cause.

"Bella, I want to, ..so much.." I said stroking her cheek. "But you know why I can't. You'll regret this tomorrow. I can't do that to you... I just..I can't"

"I won't regret it, I promise." She looked at me, pleadingly, as a lone tear slid down her cheek. "Don't make me beg, ...Edward."

I knew it was wrong, but there was no way I could refuse her any longer when she asked me like that. I couldn't cause her any more pain, and I knew if I rejected her again it would hurt her. So, I ignored all the warning bells going off in my head, took her face in my hands once again and kissed her.

She melted into my arms, pushing her hands up into my hair and holding on tight. I lowered her back down onto my bed and she went willingly this time. I barely registered the thoughts of my family as they all left the house, giving us some privacy.

I continued to kiss her, soft and slowly, taking my time. With one hand still holding her cheek, I let the other trail down her throat, pausing to feel her pulse racing beneath my finger tips. I broke the kiss to let her get some air, following the path of my fingers with my mouth and peppering kisses over her silky skin. I nipped and sucked as I made my way down, stopping only to remove her tank top so I had access to all of her. She readily lifted her arms so I could pull it off and toss it to the floor.

I paused, taking a moment to admire her beautiful body. She squirmed slightly and went to cover her chest with her arms.

"Don't." I whispered. "You're so beautiful, Bella."

I bent down and kissed her, hard this time, unable to contain my growing passion. My hand found its way to her breast, cupping it firmly and running my thumb over her nipple. She gasped into my mouth and ground her hips against me. My mouth now replaced my thumb and I flicked my tongue over her before sucking her hardened peak into my mouth.

"So cold..." she breathed, causing my movements to still immediately

This was the moment I'd been dreading, with everything that had happened I'd forgotten that she would noticed my coldness, now more than ever.

_Stupid!_

But she surprised me again, grabbing my head and pushing me back to her chest.

"Please don't stop..." she moaned, "...so..good.."

I needed no more encouragement to carry on where I'd left off, kissing every inch of her as I traveled down her body. I hooked my fingers into her panties and slid them down her legs, throwing them on the floor to join her top. She was glorious, lying naked before me, on my bed and I wanted nothing more at that moment than to be buried deep inside her. Giving her everything I had, if that's what she needed.

I stood up, never taking my eyes from hers as I removed my t shirt, followed swiftly by my jeans. I wasn't wearing underwear and I watched her eyes grow wide when my erection sprang free.

I crawled back up the bed until I was hovering over her. I kissed her again, shifting onto my side and sliding my hand between her legs. She was wet, so wet for me and my cock twitched in anticipation. I continued to kiss her as I slipped a finger into her warmth, she moaned into my mouth and bucked her hips against my hand. I slipped in a second finger and began to move them, slowly, in and out of her.

"Oh,.. Edward!" she gasped, breaking the kiss, so I moved to her neck and continued there. "I ..want you...inside of me.."

I smiled against her skin, but held off a little longer.

"Oh...God..." she cried as I moved my fingers faster and harder. "I ...need ...to feel...all of you...now!"

I withdrew my fingers, quickly slipping them into my mouth for a taste, before positioning myself between her legs.

"Are you sure?" I asked, one last time, looking deeply into her eyes for any hesitancy. I saw none and when she nodded her head, yes, I couldn't hold back any longer.

Ever so slowly, using all my control so as not to hurt her, I pushed myself all the way inside.

_Holy Shit!_

I had to remain still for a few moments to steady myself. The feeling of being inside Bella, was incredible. I needed to regain my focus or things would turn out very badly.

"Edward?" she asked, looking up at me with concern.

"Just give me a minute. It feels...it feels almost too good." I told her, smiling a little, to reassure her.

As soon as I felt in control again, I began to move, long, deep strokes, making her moan and writhe beneath me. She slid her legs up, hooking them behind my back and pulling me closer. I slipped my hands underneath her shoulders, holding her in place, while I increased my pace.

"Edward!" she moaned against my ear, her hot breath tickling my cold skin. "Harder..."

I willingly obliged, using as much forced as I dared, to bring her pleasure. I could feel her start to tighten around me, and I knew I wouldn't be long. I ground my hips against her, putting pressure where I knew she needed it, causing her to exploded around me.

"Oh.. my.. God!" She screamed, clinging on to me while she rode out her orgasm.

That was my undoing and I fell over the edge with her, whispering her name over and over as I held onto her, not wanting to ever let go.

I kept her in my arms as I listened to her breathing calm down, reluctantly withdrawing from her and pulling her into my side as I rolled onto my back.

"Thank you." She whispered into my chest.

I didn't answer, I didn't think she really wanted one anyway. I just kissed her head and trailed my fingers up and down her spine, willing her to go to sleep. It had been an exhausting two days, and she was still so tired. I heard her heart slow as she settled into a deep sleep, but I continued to hold her in my arms, there was no place I would rather be.

When I was absolutely certain she was asleep, I finally let my feelings take over me.

"I love you." I said softly, into the darkness.

I knew she wouldn't hear me, but I wanted to say it anyway. I'd known I had strong feeling for her, but after what we'd just shared, I realized just how much I cared.. I knew I had to tell her about me, what I was, but I was so scared of her reaction, especially now. I just hoped, with everything that I had, that she wouldn't regret this when she eventually found out.

-oxo-

I held Bella in my arms all night, while she slept, soothing her when she tossed and turned in her dreams. It wasn't until I saw the morning light creeping at the edges of my heavy curtains, that I heard the thoughts of my returning family. I wanted to talk to Carlisle, so I once again removed my self from Bella's grasp, taking extra care not to wake her.

They were in the living room, Emmett and Esme got up to leave as soon I arrived. But not before Emmett mouthed the words _'nicely done' _and waggled his eyebrows at me. I rolled my eyes at him and turned towards Carlisle.

"Edward?" he said, looking at me curiously. "Is there something you want to talk about?"

There was no easy way to do this, I knew he wasn't going to like what I had to say, but I had to do it regardless.

"I want to tell her." I said, "I want to tell Bella, everything."

He closed his eyed and pinched the bridge of his nose. He was blocking his thoughts from me, so I knew this wouldn't be good.

"You can't tell her." He said eventually, "you know this."

"She thinks Alice is dead, for fuck's sake!" I yelled, remembering how broken she was because of this.

"The Alice she knew, is dead!" He replied, his voice matching mine.

"But, in time she could-"

"No, Edward!" he interrupted me.

I was so angry with him, the woman I loved was hurting and I knew I could help to make it better, if only he'd let me. Yes, Alice would be like me now, but in time, she and Bella could see each other again., I just had to tell her and make her understand. But I needed Carlisle's help to do this and he wasn't going to give it.

"They could still have a relationship!" I shouted at him.

"She's gone." He shouted back, almost as angry as me. "As far as Bella is concerned, she is gone."

"But in less than a days time, hopefully, Alice will wake up and be just like us!"

Everything seemed to happen at once as the words left my mouth. Esme rushed in, her face a mask of horror. Too late, I heard Bella's heart rate increase signaling she was waking up, and lastly her audible gasp as she undoubtedly heard the last part of the heated conversation between Carlisle and I.

"Fuck!"Carlisle and Esme said together.

Although this was not how I wanted her to find out, there was no choice now but to tell her. I just hoped she would understand. I didn't look back at my family and the disappointed looks I knew I would find, instead I walked towards the stairs and up to my bedroom, both excited and terrified that Bella would soon know my secret.

_-oxo-_

**a/n For those of you who were mad with Bella after the last chapter, I hope you like her a bit more now. As always, please review and leave me your thoughts.**


	11. Answers

**a/n** Thanks as always to my prereader GemmaH for all her help with this story and special thanks to tigerlilylace for her awesome beta skills, especially when she was having such a shit time in RL. Huge thanks to those who are reading and especially to those who leave a review. I love reading them.

**Disclaimer: SM owns everything Twilight related. She doesn't own the huge tequila hangover I am suffering with today!**

**Answers**

**EpoV**

I walked slowly up the stairs, buying myself a little time while I tried to sort out everything I wanted to say to her. She hadn't moved from the bedroom, I could hear her heart beating rapidly as she waited, frightened. I didn't want her to be scared of me, I wanted her to accept what I was and welcome me with open arms. I knew in reality, the chances of that happening were slim to zero. But I had to tell her, especially after what we'd shared last night.

I mentally prepared myself, to accept that last night might be the only time I got to touch her like that. The only time I would feel her wrapped around me. The only time she would scream out name in ecstasy. The thought was crippling and I grabbed hold of the stair rail to hold myself up. She had brought me to life and the thought of losing her, after having only just found each other, was utter agony. I wished I had Jasper with me, he was the only one who could help me deal with these feelings. I really fucking missed my brother.

Finally, I reached the top of the stairs and found myself outside her door. I could hear her breathing on the other side. This was it, the point of no return. Putting my hand on the door, I gently pushed it open.

My eyes found her immediately, she was sitting in the middle of the bed with her knees drawn up to her chest, her bottom lip held firmly between her teeth.

"Bella?" I whispered, afraid anything louder would startle her.

She looked up at me then, her big brown eyes wide and confused.

"Edward?" she whispered back. "What's going on?" She hugged her knees tightly, rocking back and forth ever so slightly. "I heard what you said," she let out a little chuckle, but there was no humor in it. "It was kinda hard not to. What did you mean, she'll wake up just like you?"

I took a deep breath, even though I had no need for it, and moved to join her on the bed. She flinched as I got closer and a stab of hurt went straight through my heart. She gave me a small, apologetic smile and I chose to sit on the edge of the bed instead. The need to touch her was overwhelming, but I clenched my fists and kept them trained to my side to prevent them from straying.

"Bella, have you noticed anything _different _about me and the rest of my family?" I watched her, and her reaction to my question told me that she had.

"Yes," she replied, but chose not to elaborate.

"Tell me."

She paused, breathing deeply, as if steeling her resolve for what she was about to say.

"You're all so beautiful." I smiled a little at that.

"What else?"

"You never seem to eat."

"What else?"

"Your skin, it's so very cold."

I saw her confusion remain as she said these things out loud, trying to figure out what it all could mean.

"Anything else?" I asked

"Isn't that enough?" she bit back.

I had to chuckle at her response, pleased to see that she wasn't not too afraid to bitch at me.

"Yes, I guess it is." I replied. "But it's not all of it, Bella."

I hesitated, nervous all of a sudden. This was where I told her the truth and she ran screaming out the door.

"We never sleep."

Her eyes widened in disbelief and I could tell she was about to question me, so I held up my hand to stop her because I wasn't finished yet.

"We do eat, we just don't eat human food."

"What do you mean by _human food_?" she scoffed.

I could see her hands ball into fists as she grabbed the sheets, her heart rate speeding up from either fear or excitement. I was going with fear at this point.

"We eat blood, Bella." Her gaze narrowed.

"What do you mean, _We eat blood?_"

She was going to make me spell it out to the letter.

"I mean, we eat blood. We are vampires. Only we eat animal blood, instead of human. For the sake of our _humanity_, I guess you could say."

There, it was done. I'd spilled my deepest, darkest secrets and now waited anxiously for her response to it all. Once, again, it was so fucking far from what I was expecting.

She laughed, long and hard. Tears beginning to stream down her face. For a minute I thought she might be getting a little hysterical.

"You're fucking kidding me, right?" she managed to get out. " A family of fucking vampires? Is that what you're telling me?"

I nodded, not sure what to do as her reaction was so unexpected. I could hear Emmett's laugh from downstairs, where he was waiting with Carlisle and Esme.

_Fucking awesome, man! You sure know how to pick 'em._

I moved over to her and grabbed her by the shoulders, forcing her to stop laughing and look at me.

"Yes! That's exactly what I'm trying to fucking tell you!"

"That's the biggest pile of shit I've ever heard, _Edward_," she said, almost spitting out my name. "If you don't want to tell me what's really going on with your family, then that's fine. But don't treat me like a fool and try to brush me off with this crap!" She waved her arms around, gesturing wildly.

I didn't think for one fucking minute that she wouldn't even believe me, and I was momentarily speechless.

_Show her. _Carlisle's thoughts invaded my mind.

Fine. She hadn't really left me much choice.

"Watch me."

I looked her deep in the eyes, before disappearing to the other side of the room using my vampire speed to its full extent.

"Holy Shit!" she gasped, her hand flying up to cover her mouth.

I jumped on the bed, she jumped a mile in the air at my proximity, but I'd already moved over to the window. She didn't say anything, just sat there as if frozen in place. I walked towards her, slowly this time, and watched mortified as she scrambled back against the headboard, trying to get away.

Away from me.

_Shit!_

I wanted to make her believe me, not frighten her to death.

"Sshh... Bella." My voice soft and soothing. "Don't be scared. I would never hurt you, I promise."

She shook her head and tried to get further away.

"Edward..." she sobbed and my chest tightened at the pain I could hear in her voice. "Wh... what are you?"

"You know what I am."

"But... but that's not possible..." she mumbled, as if speaking to herself.

"Think about it, Bella." I urged her. "Everything you've seen or suspected. You know in your heart that I'm telling you the truth, don't you?"

She stared into my eyes for what seemed like forever, before finally nodding her head ever so slightly.

"Yes," she breathed. "Oh my God!..."

I saw the tears begin to fall relentlessly down her soft cheeks and I went to comfort her but she raised her hand to stop me.

"Please don't."

I did as she asked, but felt the sharp sting of rejection as she pushed me away.

I loved her.

I needed her.

We sat in silence, for the next twenty minutes and thirty seven seconds, but it seemed oh so much longer. I watched closely as she stared aimlessly out the window. Not having moved from her place at the top of the bed.

Eventually, she broke the silence, but after I'd heard her words I really wished she hadn't.

"I need to go." Her voice was flat and empty.

"Bella..." I cried, my pain and agony obvious. A flicker of emotion passed behind her eyes.

"I need time, Edward. I can't process all of … this..." she gestured to me and our surroundings, "while I'm still in this house, with you."

I understood that she needed time, I hated it, but I understood. I couldn't let her leave just yet though, there was so much more she needed to know.

"There's more."

Her head whipped up and she looked at me incredulously.

"More?" she screeched. "How the fuck could there possibly be more?"

I needed to tell her about Charlie, the wolf pack and of course Alice, which she seemed to have temporarily forgotten about. I didn't know where to start. The truth would hurt her and resurrect painful memories. I didn't want to cause her anymore pain, but I had to tell her the rest.

"Charlie -" I started, but she quickly interrupted as realization dawned on her.

"Noooooooo..." she shook her head frantically. "Did... did you kill my father?" Her face was a mask of shock and horror, that the man she'd slept with could possibly have murdered her father.

"What? No!" I shouted, making her flinch again. "Of course not, Baby."

I couldn't stop myself this time, and I gathered her up in my arms as she started to sob. She stiffened in my embrace, but made no move to push me off. I would take that, for now.

"Then who?" she sniffled into my chest.

"Wolves." I replied.

"The same ones that attacked me?"

"Yes. But Bella," I hesitated, not sure how she would take this next revelation. "They aren't ordinary wolves."

"What do you mean?" she asked, warily.

I held her close as I explained all about the wolves and the wolf pack. How our presence in Forks caused the young men of La Push to morph into the giant wolves that attacked her in the forest. I could see her mind working, processing everything I'd told her so far. It wasn't long before she asked the question I'd been expecting.

"Is... " she swallowed, and tried again. "Is Jake a wolf?"

"Yes..."

"Fuck!" she shouted, angrily. "Was that motherfucker there when they attacked me? Or Charlie?"

As much as I hated to defend Jacob, I quickly told her that no, although he was a wolf, he wasn't involved in either the attack on her or Charlie. She breathed a big sigh of relief and I felt her relax slightly at the knowledge that he had nothing to do with her fathers death.

"Who was it then?" she asked quietly.

"Paul." I paused, before telling her the rest, knowing that it would remind her of why we were here.

"He attacked Alice too."

"Alice?" she shrieked. Her shoulders slumped and I could hear her mumbling under her breath. "_Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God!..."_

I waited patiently for her mind to catch up, our conversation had now come full circle. I didn't have to wait long at all, it seemed. She stilled suddenly and I felt her head lift up, so she could look me in the eye and repeat her earlier question.

"What did you mean, when you said that Alice will be the same as you?" she asked, tentatively.

"Alice is dead, ...isn't she?"

"No...well yes, technically, but not exactly..." she looked like she wanted to kill me at this point, so I just said it.

"Jasper bit her."

She gasped and her hands flew up to her face.

"He didn't know what else to do. She was dying." I flinched at the horror on her face. "She's going through the change now and will be a newborn vampire in a day or so, hopefully."

"What the fuck does that mean exactly? What change? And the word _hopefully_ doesn't exactly sound promising!" she shouted, finally pushing me away. I let her.

"It means, that she'll wake up and be just like me." I said, slowly, letting it sink in. "Only stronger and thirstier. I said _hopefully_, because Alice's transformation has been a little different than normal, but Carlisle assures me it will fine."

I could tell she wasn't taking in everything that I was trying to tell her, judging by the look of hope that was creeping across her face.

"I can see her again?" her voice was full of it and I hated to crush it back down, but there was no way I could let her see Alice.

"No, Bella. Not for a very long time, if ever. It's too dangerous."

"Dangerous? How? She's my best friend." Her statement was so absurd, that despite the gravity of the situation, I couldn't help but chuckle. She looked confused again, still not grasping what I meant.

"Her diet has changed, drastically." I looked at her pointedly, hoping that now she would get it, without me having to spell it out.

"Oh!... oohhh!" Finally! She understood.

"She'd want to eat me?"

"More than likely, yes." Considering the way Bella smelled, it would probably take me, Jasper and Emmett to hold her back. That was not something I ever wanted to experience. "She can learn to be like us, but it takes a lot of time and control. Something newborns don't often have a lot of. It may be years."

"Well that fucking sucks!" she cried angrily.

I agreed, because it did fucking suck. No pun intended.

We sat there for a while longer, as she considered everything I'd told her.

"Why would he attack Alice?" Why her? What the fuck did she ever do to them?"

I didn't have an answer for her, but before I could say that, she was up and off the bed. She grabbed her clothes and disappeared into the bathroom to change. When she came out, her expression was cold and hard. Her tears now replaced by anger.

"I want to leave. Now." she stated, not looking at me. "I need to be alone, and I can't do that here."

She looked determined and I was suspicious that she'd do something stupid or rash.

"Where will you go?" I asked, because her house was still taped off and I didn't think it had even been cleaned yet.

"There's only one hotel in Forks." she said, still looking at the floor. "I guess I'll go there, for now."

I didn't fucking like this idea, but I knew this had been too much for her to take in all at once. As much as it pained me to do so, I needed to let her go. I would obviously be keeping a close eye on her though. I realized then, that she had no means of transport, so I held out my keys to her.

"Here, take my car. But... just promise me you won't do something stupid"

She reached out and took them from me, swallowing once before answering.

"I promise." I didn't believe her, because she refused to look at me as she said it.

She turned and headed towards the door, I got up and followed her.

"Bella?"

She stopped, but didn't turn around.

"Will you come back?" To me?"

She didn't answer right away and the silence was torturous. I wanted to beg her to accept me for what I was and to stay here with me. I wanted to hold her and kiss her, whisper that I loved her and never wanted to let her go.

"I don't know."

It was barely a whisper, I doubt I would have heard it if I didn't have enhanced senses. I'd expected her answer to be like this, but the thought that this might be over for us, was almost more than I could bear.

"Bella... please... I -"

"Don't, Edward." She cut me off, but her voice was softer now. "Just let me go. Please."

I walked after her down the stairs, ignoring my family and their influx of thoughts.

_Edward, you can't just let her leave! She knows everything now!_

Carlisle was furious.

_Did you at least swear her to secrecy? Does she know what will happen if she tells anyone?_

_Carlisle's right sweetheart, have you explained the consequences to Bella?_

Esme now joined in, concerned but not angry.

"Enough" I hissed. "I trust her with my life."

_Well now you've trusted her with all of ours as well! I hope you're right about her._

I opened the front door and lead Bella to my car, neither of us having spoken since leaving my bedroom. She opened the car door, but before she could get in, I placed my hand on her arm to stop her. She tensed slightly, but not as bad as before. It still hurt though.

"You can't tell anyone about this. It would end very badly for all of us." I tilted her chin up so I could see her eyes when she answered.

"I would never tell, Edward." she looked at me for a second longer, before shrugging me off and getting in the car.

"Who the fuck would believe me anyway." she said, before pulling the door shut and starting the engine.

I watched her as she drove off, unable to tear my eyes away until she disappeared from my sight, taking my heart and soul with her.

-oxo-

**BPoV**

"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck" I screamed as I slammed my hands against the steering wheel. The tears had started to fall as soon as Edward's house disappeared from my rear view mirror, I angrily wiped them away with my fingers.

When I'd woken up this morning, I'd been blissfully dreaming about Edward, lost to his heavenly touches and kisses. I heard shouting from downstairs and then Edward said something that shocked me wide awake. I had no idea what he'd meant, but the way everything went silent after he said it, told me I wasn't meant to hear. I'd sat curled up on the bed, nervously waiting for him to come back upstairs.

I'd known there was something different about Edward and his family, but never in my wildest dreams, or nightmares, did I expect the explanation that he'd given me.

Edward was a vampire.

It still sounded so unbelievable and if I hadn't seen it with my owns eyes, I would never have thought it possible. But I had seen it. Seen him. He'd moved around that room so impossibly fast, I knew he wasn't human. I didn't know how to feel about him now. My body still reacted to him, still wanted him. I knew he was still the same man that had made love to me the night before, he hadn't changed. But everything else had. I couldn't help but shy away when he went to touch me, I hated to see the pain it caused him, written all over his beautiful features, but I just couldn't help it. My mind was telling me he was dangerous and I needed to run far, far away. I knew in my heart that he would never hurt me, but it was all so confusing.

They were vampires.

Alice was going to be one.

Jacob was a wolf.

"Holy shit!" I cried to the empty car.

It was all too much to handle in one go. My mind couldn't wrap itself round the enormity of what he'd told me. I didn't know which part to think about first. Charlie had been attacked by wolves, who were actually boys from La Push. The same wolves had attacked me and then Alice. _And Oh my God, Alice. _She was dead, kinda, but sort of not. She was going to be like Edward, but I still couldn't see her.

Arrghhh!

The one thing that my mind kept coming back to throughout out all of this, was Paul.

_Paul had killed my father._

_Paul had attacked me in the forest._

_Paul had attacked Alice._

Motherfucking cocksucker!

It's about time someone made Paul fucking pay for what he'd done. I spun the car around and headed back towards Charlie's house. I knew it was a stupid thing to do,and I could very well get myself killed, but I couldn't stop it all from going round and round in my head. Paul. It s all his fucking fault. Everything bad that had happened the last few weeks revolved around him and his gang on the Reservation. Even after everything that Jacob done, I didn't want to believe that he and Billy were involved, but I would never know if I didn't start asking questions.

I pulled around back at Charlie's and went in through the kitchen, studiously avoiding the blood stain that I'd slipped in before. I tried to block the images of that day from my head, I couldn't afford to dwell on that now. I went straight to the gun cabinet, thankful that I'd kept all the keys on my keyring. Charlie had loved his guns and had amassed a substantial collection. I reverently ran my hands over them, fondly remembering all the times he'd taken me shooting. If we were going to have guns in the house, he'd insisted that I knew how to handle one correctly. I knew how to use nearly all of them and I'd never been so glad for that, as I was at this moment.

I took his Glock .22 and extra ammo, I had no idea how many wolves there might be. I locked the cabinet, because I didn't want any of his other guns to get into the wrong hands, and ran back out to the car. I stowed the gun under my seat and started the engine. My hands were shaking slightly and I gripped the steering wheel tighter, to make them stop. I was terrified of what might be waiting for me at La Push, but I had to go. I wanted answers and that was the only place I was going to get them. I also wanted Paul. He'd destroyed my family and he was going to answer for it.

I put the car in drive and set off towards the Reservation.

-oxo-

I drove nearly all with my foot flat to the floor. Being a cop's daughter I very rarely, if ever, went over the speed limit. But at this moment in time, I didn't give a shit and it felt fantastic. I felt reckless for once in my life and it was just what I needed. The past few weeks had gradually gotten more intense, until they'd come to a head with Alice's _death._ Which I still had no idea how to deal with. On the one hand I was overjoyed that she wasn't gone for good, like I'd thought, but I had no concept of what she would be like now. When Edward had said she'd wake up and be just like him, I nearly cried with joy, because if that were true then in a couple of days I could be sat talking to her. Just like I was doing with Edward.

Unfortunately, he seemed to think that was totally out of the question, because of her new diet. Which still makes me shudder. Ugh! If I made it out of La Push OK, we were going to have to discuss this, because if Alice was alive, or whatever she was, then I wanted to see her. I just couldn't believe that she'd ever hurt me.

All too quickly I saw the outskirts of the Reservation through the trees, I slowed down Edward's car to barely a crawl and slowly made my way in.

Ironically, the first you house you had to drive past on the road in, was Billy and Jake's. I decided that theirs was as good a place as any to start at and pulled up at the back next to Jake's old makeshift garage. I sat for a minute and stared at out the front windshield, gathering my nerve. It seemed like a lifetime ago since I used to help Jake, as he attempted to fix up old bike's and cars in there. Everything was so simple then, my only concern had been whether or not Charlie was going to make me cook fish for dinner again. So much had changed, I hardly recognized the Jake I'd seen of late.

I shook my head to rid it of the old memories, they had no place here anymore. I grabbed Charlie's gun and opened the car door, trying not to make too much noise. I checked that the safety was on and shoved the gun into the back of my jeans. I hoped I wouldn't need it at Billy's but I didn't trust anyone at this point. I'd started to to walk round to the front of the house, when I saw the back door to the kitchen swing open. I stopped walking immediately, my hand hovering over the back of my jeans, ready.

"Bella?" Billy whisper yelled from the doorway. "What the hell are you doing here?" He wheeled his chair to the side and beckoned me inside, but I hesitated, unsure of what to do.

"Get the hell in here before you get yourself killed!" he hissed at me. "Charlie would turn in his grave if I let anything else happen to you."

He sounded so sincere, and so much like the old Billy I knew that I couldn't help myself, and I scurried over to the door and slipped inside. After all, if I wanted information I needed to start asking some questions. He quickly shut the door, locked it behind me and hurried me into the small living room. He wheeled himself over to the windows and drew all the curtains, but not before having a sneaky look outside. Eventually he turned round to face me and I couldn't help but gasp. It had only been a few years since I last saw him, but he looked so much older than I remember.

"I know," he chuckled sadly. "I look, like an old man, right?"

I didn't know what to say, so I just shrugged noncommittally. I opened my mouth to asking him what the fuck was going on around here, but he beat me to it.

"Bella, I don't want to appear rude, sweetheart, but what the fuck are you doing here?" My eyebrows disappeared into my head at his use of the F word, but he carried on regardless. "Do you have any idea what's going on here? How dangerous it is for you to be here right now? If they knew -"

"I know about the wolves, Billy." I interrupted, hoping to catch him off guard.

He looked at me, a sad smile etched on his face. He rubbed his hands over his tired, old face and sighed.

"I knew you'd find out, somehow. Far too stubborn for your own good, just like Charlie." I moved to interrupt again, but he started to talk before I got the chance. "I told Jake to leave you alone, that it would be better that way. But no, he insisted he could persuade you to stay away and keep you safe. Hot headed young fool."

"Keep me safe?" I screeched at him. "He's done everything but keep me safe! Billy, he got Alice killed, for fuck's sake!" I was so angry I was shaking. How could he possibly imply that Jacob had done anything to help me. He was clearly just as much in the dark as I was.

"You've got it all wrong, Bella."

"I don't fucking think so. He's part of the same wolf pack that killed Charlie and attacked me and Alice. How can you defend him and justify his actions?" I demanded, angrily.

"I know it looks bad, but there are things you don't know about."

"Then tell me," I said, as calmly as I could manage. I'd come here for answers and it finally looked like I was about to get them. "Explain to me what these _things_ are that I don't know about."

He took a deep breath and motioned to the old couch next to him.

"Sit down, sweetheart, we need to talk."

-oxo-

**a/n ** Did she react as you expected? What do you think Billy is going to tell her? Please review and let me know your thoughts. I love reading them.

I'm participating in **Fandoms Fight the Floods**, to help Queensland's flood victims. Donate $5.00 to the **Queensland Government Appeal** and send your receipt to the managers at **fandomsfightthefloods(dot)blogspot(dot)com**. On March 1st, you'll receive a bundle of stories from fic authors. I've signed up to do an Edward/Jasper slash one-shot.


	12. All is Never as it Seems

**a/n Thanks as always to my prereader GemmaH for all her help with this story and special thanks to my beta tigerlilylace for sorting out my awful punctuation. Huge thanks to those who are reading and especially to those who leave a review. I love reading them. **

**Disclaimer: SM owns everything Twilight related. I just mess with her wolves.**

**All is Never as it Seems**

**Epov**

I didn't know how long I stood there, hours, minutes, seconds, staring into the forest, my eyes trained on the spot where I'd last seen Bella driving off in my car. My mind replayed the last few hours, over and over. Had it gone as I was expecting? _Fuck no! _But that was definitely a good thing, since I'd been expecting screams of horror and disgust, and to never set eyes on her beautiful face again. But, despite the fact that she'd stayed with me, in my room, she hadn't exactly welcomed me with open arms. I'd told her everything though; me, my family, the wolves, Charlie, and finally Alice. I really should be grateful for the fact that she'd let me hold her afterwards, all be it stiffly, but I couldn't help the small part of me that had hoped for total acceptance.

Reluctantly, I turned on my heel and headed inside, back to the numerous questions and opinions that I knew would be waiting for me. I'd managed to ignore them all while I was outside, my mind solely occupied with all things Bella, but with every step I took towards my family, I felt them intruding, their thoughts seeping into my head.

_I don't like this at all. She's out there doing God knows what and he's told her everything for fuck's sake. We should never have let her go! It's only a matter of time before the Volturi turn up, now that Alice has been turned, we can't afford for them to find out about Bella! _

Shit!

I'd forgotten all about the Volturi. Of course they would be on their way here. There was only one rule for our kind; keep our existence secret, by any means necessary. The Volturi were as close to a ruling body as we had, their main focus; to ensure this rule was strictly adhered to. If a human uncovered our secret, they were either turned, or killed. There were no other alternatives and absolutely no exceptions.

Their coven were made up of vampires with various talents. One in particular had the ability to sense the creation of a newborn vampire, as soon as he/she awoke from the change. When Alice's transformation was complete, a contingent of Volturi vampires would be on their way to check up on us. We'd have have to prove to them that all necessary precautions were being taken to control our newborn and that there was no danger of exposure. I wasn't worried about this, and I didn't think Carlisle was either, as there were more than enough of us here to handle a newborn. The problem was Bella. If they found out about her, I would be forced to make a decision I was in no way prepared for.

I would die myself before I allowed her to be killed. The thought of existing here without her was something I couldn't comprehend and refused to contemplate. I knew eventually her human life would come to and end, but I wasn't prepared to deal with that just yet. The prospect of changing her to be like me, as appealing as that was in some respects, was just as equally unacceptable. I'd seen what it had done to Rosalie, to be turned at such a young age, without having lived long enough to truly experience her life. No prospect of becoming a mother or realising her dreams, I just couldn't do that to her. I highly doubted she would be agreeable to the idea either.

I entered the living room to find Esme, Carlisle and Emmett in a heated discussion. Well Carlisle and Esme anyway, Emmett was trying in vain to watch some football game on the tv behind them. They were already turned in my direction as I entered, having sensed my approach.

"We need to keep a close eye on her Edward, the Volturi-" Carlisle began.

"I know." I interrupted. "We can't let them find out about her, I realize this." I ran my hands through my hair, trying to not to imagine what would happen if they found her. "I just need to keep her hidden until they leave."

"It's not that simple though, I have no idea who they'll bring with them. If any should have a talent like yours..." He let it hang there, for us all to digest. If they brought someone who could read minds like I could, then although I doubted they'd be able to read Bella's mind, they would be able to read any of ours. If we weren't perfect with our blocking techniques, or if they were too powerful, then Bella would be discovered.

"Fuck!"

"Exactly." Carlisle agreed, his anger dissipating slightly as he took in my forlorn state.

"Where's she gone, Son?"

I told him about Bella's plans to stay at the one hotel in Forks, since she couldn't go back to her own house just yet. He suggested that I waited until it was dark and then go and check on her. I was more than happy with this plan, having had every intention of going to the hotel, probably a lot sooner than after dark, but I guess it made sense to wait until I wouldn't be seen.

Nightfall was at least 4 hours away, I decided to take this opportunity to hunt. If I was planning on watching Bella for the foreseeable future, it made sense to take care of my hunger issues now, while I had the chance. I taunted Emmett until he was riled up enough to chase me out the door, I didn't feel like going alone and this was the best way to get him to move. I allowed myself a small smile as I heard him thundering behind me, a string of curses flowing from his mouth.

-oxo-

Dusk was settling slowly over our house as Emmett and I returned from our hunt, fully sated to the point where I felt all sloshy inside. Better safe than sorry though, especially where Bella was concerned.

I stumbled into the lounge due to Emmett's _affectionate_ slap on the back as I teased him about Rosalie wearing the pants in their relationship.

"Say what you like Eddie boy, I love it when my Rosie takes charge." he replied, waggling his eyebrows at me, " If you know what I mean."

I cringed, mentally preparing myself for the pornographic images he was about to throw my way, but I was mercifully saved by the ringing of my cell phone. It was extremely rare for anyone to call me, so Emmett's interest was peaked and his thoughts moved on to guessing who the caller was.

After checking the Caller Id, I immediately flipped out my phone and answered.

"Jas?" I felt the relief wash over me just knowing he was on the other end of the line. "How's Alice? Is she awake yet, Carlisle said-"

"Edward," he interrupted, "Is Bella there?"

"No, she left." I told him, quickly explaining what had happened and where she'd gone.

Uneasiness crept up my spine, I could tell from the tone of his voice that something was wrong. The fact that he was asking about Bella made that feeling ten times worse.

"Why do you ask?"

I heard him sigh on the other of the phone, before a soft angelic voice gently urged him to tell me. _ Wait._ _Was that Alice?_

"What's wrong? Is Alice awake?" I repeated my question, wishing he'd hurry the fuck up and tell me what was going on.

"Yeah, she's awake. I'll explain about that later. Look man, Alice has a talent, just like us. She sees things, things that might happen in the the future. She had a vision of Bella driving towards La Push."

"What the fuck?" I almost crush the phone when I hear his words. I knew I should never have let her go, never should have trusted her not to do something stupid. I paced back and forth, my free hand gripping my hair painfully tight. Why the fuck would she go to La Push, after everything I'd told her. Didn't she know how dangerous they were? I'd momentarily forgotten that Jas as still on the phone, until he spoke again.

"That's not all, though." he paused, "Edward, she was carrying Charlie's gun."

I snapped my phone shut, not bothering to say goodbye. She'd taken Charlie's fucking gun and was on her way to La Push, on some crazy mission to get revenge. Was she insane? Bullets may slow them down temporarily, but they wouldn't stop them. The wolves healed incredibly quickly, didn't I mention that to her? I ran through our conversation in my head, recalling the part where I explained about the wolves.

_Fuck!_

I thought I'd told her everything, but clearly I skipped a few fucking parts.

"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!" I shouted, grabbing the nearest thing to me and throwing it across the room, not even caring as it smashed against the wall and shattered. Unfortunately, it was one of Esme's favorite vases and I heard her hiss a few curse words behind me. Fortunately for me, they'd all heard Jasper's side of the conversation and she let me off. This time.

I shot a pointed look at Emmett, he didn't need any more encouragement than that.

"Let's go kick some Quileute butt!" he grinned, rubbing his hands. "And get your girlfriend back before she becomes dog food."

"Emmett!" I growled at his insensitivity.

He grabbed his keys and we both flew out the door to Emmett's jeep. According to the treaty, we weren't allowed on Quileute soil, but after everything that had happened, the wolves clearly didn't give a fuck about the treaty, so neither did I. From the glimpses we'd gotten of the pack, we were going to be severely outnumbered. We'd counted at least five before, but there could easily be more. There was no way I was leaving Bella there alone, no matter how bad the odds.

"Looks like we've got company." Emmett smirked, gesturing behind at the black mercedes now following us. I should have known that Carlisle wouldn't let us go in alone. In my haste to get to Bella, I'd neglected to include probably the most powerful vampire of us all. Carlisle was by far the eldest having several hundred years on the rest of us.

"The odds just got a whole lot better, bro!"

Yes, they fucking well had. Things looked a whole lot better now there were four of us. I had no idea what the fallout from this would be; our trespassing on Quileute soil would not be taken well at all. There would be severe repercussions, but we'd have to deal with that later. For now, my sole focus was getting Bella back in one piece.

The tense silence in Emmett's jeep was broken by my phone ringing, again. I couldn't contain my smile at the name that flashed up before me.

_Bella. _

"Where the fuck are you? Are you ok?" the questions tumbled from my lips and I tried to reign in the anger threatening to surface, now I assumed her to be ok. My initial relief at seeing her name proved to be grossly premature however.

"It's not Bella. It's Jake."

-oxo-

**Bpov**

"Sit down, sweetheart, we need to talk."

Tentatively, I sat down on the couch. I didn't particularly trust Billy, but if I wanted to find out what was going on and get some answers to the myriad of questions I had, then that meant listening to what he had to say. I pulled the Glock out the back of my jeans, I didn't mean it as a threat, it was just slightly uncomfortable sitting down with it stuck in there. Nevertheless, Billy raised an eyebrow at it, but wisely chose not to comment.

"Go on, then." I said, wanting to get this over with as quickly as possible. "I'm sitting down."

He ran his hands over his tired face, before settling them back in his lap.

"Jacob was all set to go off to college, when I suddenly took sick. He decided to put it off for a year or so, while he nursed me back to health. Well a year turned into two, but I was determined to push him to still go and fulfill his dreams."

He paused, obviously remembering a time when things were better on the Reservation. This was all very interesting, but not what I had come for. I'd forgotten how much Billy liked to talk, he was the main Quileute Elder and as such was the story teller at their tribal bonfires. He was no doubt used to re-telling ancient tales in elaborate detail, usually to a rapt audience of young tribe members. It appeared that I was about to get the same treatment.

"Just before he was due to leave, a couple of Vampires entered the area." He looked up at me, expectantly, as if I should know the significance of this.

"And?" I shrugged, having absolutely no idea what he was getting at.

"The Quileute legends state, that if a vampire should come into close proximity to our tribe, the young men of a certain age will go through the change and become wolves, so that they are better able to protect the rest of the tribe. Not all the young men have the necessary gene of course, it is passed down through generations. Sam had the gene and was first to change. When we realized what was happening, me and the other Elders took him aside and helped him through it as best we could. After a few, _mishaps_ , he managed to control it and accept what he was.

Jacob was next, but he didn't take things quite so well. As my son, he should have been the Alpha, by birthright."

"Alpha?"

"The pack follow the order of the Alpha male. He is their leader, and once he gives an order, the other wolves are bound to obey, whether they like it or not."

"So, Jake's their leader?" I was confused, from what I'd seen of Jake recently, he didn't seem much like their leader.

"No," he said, sighing deeply. "Jacob had no interest in being a wolf, let alone leading a pack, so he deferred the Alpha status to Sam." He shook his head slightly and I noticed a hint of disappointment cloud his features.

"Everything was fine for a while, Sam and Jacob managed to kill one of the vampires and chase the other off. Things went back to normal, but Jake refused to go to college like he'd planned. He said it was no longer a possibility, now that he was a wolf, and chose to open up the garage with Seth instead. I think he had a lot of pressure, from Sam, to stay and perform his _duty_."

Well that answered one of my questions, as to to why Jake had never gone to college. One down, fifty thousand more to go.

"Just over a year ago, the Cullens arrived. It wasn't there first visit to these parts, so the treaty was still in place."

I started slightly at this news, _not their first visit? _ I didn't want to ruin his flow, so I let him carry on without interrupting.

"As long as they stayed off our lands and didn't drink from, or bite a human, then we would leave them alone. Of course, the presence of so many vampires caused more of the young men to transform, and that's when things started to go wrong."

I leaned in closer to him, totally engrossed in his story now and full of anticipation about what he was about to reveal.

"Paul was never the nicest of boys growing up, always causing trouble and getting into fights. To say it was unfortunate that he carried the wolf gene, would be an understatement. The power that came with the transformation went straight to his head and he became almost uncontrollable. Sam had begun to have them patrol the borders of our land, taking it in turns between the three of them. On one of Paul's patrols, he came across a young female hiker who'd mistakenly crossed over onto our land. She was camping in the area with her family and was out on an early morning walk.

Unfortunately, Paul took a liking to her and followed her. He eventually changed back into human form, and attempted to talk to her, …. and other things."

He didn't have to spell it out, I could imagine only too well what the 'other things' were. _Fucking prick_. My fingers twitched around my father's gun, I really hoped I'd get to use it on him. I could already see the look of horror on his face as I aimed and pulled the trigger. I'd show him not to pick on helpless girls.

"She ignored his advances of course, and tried to turn round and get back to her family. He wasn't very accepting of her decision and tried to use more 'persuasive' measures."

I was gripping my gun tightly now, as I felt my blood begin to boil.

"They fought, and she did the only thing, but the worst thing, she could. She ran. Paul was all pumped up on adrenalin from their fight, and that combined with the scent of her fear, pushed him over the edge. He phased into his wolf form and hunted her down. Obviously, it didn't end well. When Sam found out, Paul begged him for help, said it was an accident and he'd never meant to hurt her. Sam stupidly agreed and helped him dispose of the remains.

But, when in wolf form, each has access to the others thoughts, so the next time they all phased together, they saw the truth of what had actually happened."

"Why didn't they go to the police, for fuck's sake?"

I couldn't understand it. If they had turned him in all that time ago, then my father would still be alive and so would Alice, I was still avoiding the fact that Alice would soon be a vampire. I jumped off the couch and headed for the door, having heard enough. They were all just as bad as Paul, by covering up for him they might as well have killed Alice and Charlie themselves.

"Wait, Bella." he called after me. "Please, let me tell you the rest. Please."

I stopped moving, but refused to return to the couch,choosing to lean against the wall instead. I was far too worked up to sit down again. I gestured with my hand for him to continue.

"Jacob was furious and wanted to go to the police straight away, but Paul argued that since Sam had helped him dispose of the body, then he was now an accomplice. Jacob didn't care and when he came back here to tell me, I urged him to go see Charlie immediately. But before he could leave, Sam and Paul paid us a little visit. It seemed that Sam wasn't the leader we'd all thought he was, and Paul had convinced him not to go to the police. He was more worried about what would happen to him, than about what Paul had done to that poor girl.

They had a big fight, but Jake was out numbered and he was hurt, bad.. In the end, Sam, as the Alpha, ordered him not to tell anyone what had happened and threatened my life if either he or I tried to go to the police."

"Couldn't you just sneak off while they were away patrolling?" I asked, finding it a little unbelievable that he wasn't able to get away.

"I tried a couple of times, but either Paul or Sam were always watching me. They gave me a w_arning, _after the second time. Let's just say neither Jake or I tried after that. They were so out of control by then that I didn't dare call the police on Jake's cell, for fear of getting anyone else involved. "

His lifted his hand up to his face and absently stroked a scar that I'd not noticed before. It ran from his hairline, down the edge of his face and down to his collarbone, I shivered as I imagined how he had gotten it.

"Now the pack is so much larger, so it's easy for Sam to keep an eye on me."

My head snapped up at that.

_Oh my God! _

"Are they watching now? Will they know I'm here, talking to you?" I asked, holding my gun a little tighter. My eyes automatically shot towards the door, waiting for them to burst through at any minute. Despite my eagerness to exact revenge on Paul and whoever else was with him, my hands began to shake a little. I wasn't sure if it was from fear and nervous excitement, maybe a little of both.

"Yes, but they won't recognize your car, so you should be ok for a while longer."

"Thank God I came in Edward's car then, I'd hate-"

"Edward Cullen?" Billy interrupted me, the expression on his face making me all kinds of nervous.

"Yes. Why?"

"Because, his scent will be all over it, and you." he replied sharply, wheeling himself over to the back door. "They won't need to recognize the car, because they'll smell it.! You need to leave, Bella. Now!"

"But, we're not done!" I cried as he opened the door and started to push me gently out. " I need to know about Charlie and Alice and the others that are missing, I-"

"Jake will fill you in later." he whispered urgently, "I promise. Now go."

I squeezed past him and stepped out into the quickly darkening night. The light was fading fast, in about an hour or so it would be completely black. I didn't relish the thought of being here after dark, so I hurriedly said my goodbyes to Billy and ran towards the car, fumbling with my keys in an effort to extract them from my pocket.

My mind was reeling from everything Billy had told me and I was struggling to wrap my head around it. After all I heard from Edward and now this, it was just too much. I felt like I was losing it. In the space of a few hours, I'd gone from thinking maybe I was missing something to realizing that I knew fuck all about what was going on in Forks. Vampires, Wolves, murder? It was so far-fetched that I wanted to laugh out loud, but on the other hand it made perfect sense. Edward and his family were other-worldy beautiful, and Jacob and his friends were freakishly big and strong, and it was certainly no secret that they hated each other.

I finally wrestled the car keys from my jeans pocket, and opened the door. Before I could climb in and put my gun on the passenger seat, the hairs on the back of my neck began to tingle and a feeling of dread settled in the pit of my stomach. Keeping the Glock behind my back, I slowly turned round,to see if my suspicions were correct.

"Well, well, well," he sneered, coming to a stop about ten meters in front of me. "What do we have here?"

His eyes roamed over me from head to toe, making my skin crawl. I gripped the gun tighter carefully slipping off the safety mechanism, waiting for the right moment to take the fucker out. I knew how fast they could be and that I'd probably only get one shot. I didn't want to waste it. I wanted him just a little bit closer. I was a decent shot, but I wanted to make sure there was no chance of me missing.

"What's the matter, Paul? No innocent girls to hunt down?"

He snarled at me, a murderous look passing over his face as he realized I knew his dirty little secret.

"You don't know what the fuck your talking about, fucking Leech Lover." he spat at me, taking a few steps closer.

"Oh, don't I?" I taunted him, "I know all about the missing hikers, you sick fuck!"

"You think I killled _all_ of them?" he laughed, moving closer still. His black, hate filled eyes never left mine, I needed to hurry this up and get out of here.

"No," I smirked back at him, forcing my voice to stay strong and not expose the fear trying to rise up inside of me. "Not the men, you can only handle the defenseless girls, you fucking pussy."

I'd pushed him to his limit. His eyes narrowed and his fist curled, he growled low and long in warning for what was to come. I whipped my gun round, aimed at his head and pulled the trigger. As soon as the bullet left the barrel, the air electrified and I watched, frozen to the spot, as he shook and exploded into his wolf form before my eyes.

The bullet slammed into his right shoulder as he reared up on his hind legs. I smiled as it knocked him backwards, causing him to whimper in pain and revert back to his human form immediately.

"You shot me, you fucking bitch!" he cried, between labored breathes, grabbing his shoulder to stop the blood.

I took a minute to look at him, lying broken on the ground and I couldn't help the feeling of satisfaction that washed over me.

"That's for my father." I hissed, raising my gun and shooting him again. "And that's for Alice!" I flicked the safety back on and turned back towards the car. I'd already over stayed my welcome and needed to get the fuck out of there.

I slid in behind the steering wheel, and grabbed the door handle as I went to start the engine. Before I got it closed, the door was ripped from my grasp and thrown across Billy's yard, along with Charlies gun.

_What the fuck?_

"Come on now, Bella. You didn't think that he'd be all alone did you?"

I let out a small gasp as Sam and another huge Quileute boy appeared out of the trees.

_Fuck! _

Things didn't look so good all of a sudden. I scanned the area, frantically looking round for some way to get out out of this.

"Quil," Sam addressed the other boy. "Help Paul back to his house and get those fucking bullets out. He's already starting to heal round them."

_Heal? Already?_

Quil rushed over to Paul and helped him up on his feet, while Sam continued to watch me closely. He must have noticed my shocked expression , because he barked out a laugh that sent chills down my spine.

"Oh, Bella. Did you think you'd killed him?"

I couldn't help my reaction and I nodded slightly, because truthfully I thought I had killed the motherfucker, or at least severely injured him. But judging by the way he was moving, all be it with a lot of help from Quil, he didn't look anywhere near death. In fact, he was looking better by the minute.

"Didn't the bloodsuckers tell you anything? We have super fucking fast healing abilities," he said, his expression smug.

_Awesome!_

I must remember to thank Edward for missing out that piece of vital information, if I managed to get out of this alive that is. He grinned stepping closer and causing me to shrink back into my seat.

"Let her go, Sam."

We both turned toward Billy's house, the back door flew open and slammed against the wall as he came into view.

_No! _

I'd hoped that Billy would have had the sense to stay inside. If what he'd told me was true, then Sam wasn't going to be very impressed if he knew that Billy and I had been talking. I was beginning to understand what had been happening on the Reservation. Billy and Jake were in an impossible situation and my feelings towards them were changing. I didn't want him to get hurt now because of me.

"I might have known you couldn't keep your mouth shut, old man." Sam snapped at him, reaching into the car and grabbing my arm, roughly removing me from my seat. "Because of you, she knows too much, just like her fucking father."

"I said, Let. Her. Go." Billy repeated. Each word said deliberately and slowly.

Movement down by his side caught my eye, as he began to pull a shotgun onto his lap. I tensed, waiting to see how this played out, knowing deep down that it wasn't going to be pretty.

"Quil." It was just one one word, but it was all Sam needed to say.

Quil let go of Paul, and changed mid air into a mass of fur and teeth as he sprang at Billy, before he even had chance to raise and aim his gun. I watched on in horror as they collided and disappeared into the house.

"Nooooo!" I screamed, trying to break free and run after them.

Sam, tugged on my arm, causing me to stumble as he pulled me away. I felt him reach round with his other hand and snatch my phone out of my back pocket.

"Won't be needing that." he said, throwing it behind us into Edward's car.

I struggled to keep up with him as he dragged me off to God knows where, barely managing to contain the panic I felt as the enormity of the situation dawned on me.

I was alone.

No one knew I'd come here.

I had no gun.

No phone.

No hope.

At that exact moment, I realized I might never get to see Edward again. I'd run away and left him after he'd laid himself bare and shared everything with me. I know I'd been confused and scared, but the thought that that would be our last time together made my heart clench. I knew now, deep down , that I didn't care that Edward was a vampire. I didn't care that he drank animal blood or that he didn't tell me any of this before we had slept together. I just desperately wanted him to come and save me, take me home and never let me go.

**a/n *****hides* I know Bella didn't get all the answers yet, but where's the fun in that! Was it what you were expecting? **

**Please review and let me know your thoughts. I love reading them.**

I recently started prereading for Twilight'sPuppetMaster and her fic Bleed Into Each Other, go have a read and leave her some love.


	13. Save Me

**a/n Thanks as always to my prereader GemmaH for all her help with this story and continued support. Special thanks and hugs to my beta tigerlilylace, for sorting out my awful punctuation and making it all pretty, when she wasn't feeling her best. Huge, huge thanks to those who are reading and especially to those who leave a review. I love reading them. **

**Disclaimer: SM owns everything Twilight related. I just make her wolves do very bad things.**

**So, let's see what trouble Bella has got herself into now...**

**Save Me**

**EPoV**

_Previously_...

The tense silence in Emmett's jeep was broken by my phone ringing, again. I couldn't contain my smile at the name that flashed up before me.

_Bella. _

"Where the fuck are you? Are you ok?" the questions tumbled from my lips and I tried to reign in the anger threatening to surface, now I assumed her to be ok. My initial relief at seeing her name proved to be grossly premature however.

"It's not Bella. It's Jake."

_What the fuck?_

"What the hell are you doing with Bella's phone?" I hissed, causing Emmett to glance over at me with a raised eyebrow. I ignored him for the time being, solely focused on Jacob's answer.

"I don't have time to explain. My Dad's on his way to the hospital and Bella's gone, I don't know what happened exactly, but I found her phone and her car outside our house. Along with her gun. From the smell of things around here, I'm guessing Sam took her. "

"Motherfucker!" I growled.

I grabbed my hair in desperation, this was exactly what I'd been afraid of. I should never have let her go off on her own, should have realized she'd try to get revenge for Charlie and Alice. I slammed my hands down on the dashboard in front of me, hardly noticing the crack that ripped across the plastic.

"Hey man!" Emmett shouted, punching me in the arm.

"Ow!" I winced.

"I know you're worried, but it's not your fault and we're going to get her back. So leave my fucking baby alone, before I throw you out." he said, looking at his broken dashboard and smoothing a hand over it lovingly. I narrowed my eyes at him before getting back to Jacob.

"We're on our way now. Carlisle-"

"I already called Carlisle, he's going to the hospital to work on Billy." Jake cut it. As he spoke I saw Carlisle's Mercedes take the turn off towards Forks, flashing his lights once before he disappeared.

"Why the fuck would you do that? We need all four of us if we're going to get Bella back." I was literally seething. Jacob had single-handedly reduced our chances of success by half and I wanted to fucking kill him.

"I can't believe that Carlisle agreed to this!" I said, finding it hard to understand why he would just leave us on Jacob's say so.

"Billy needs him far more than you do, believe me. You can't come to La Push, if they smell you anywhere near, then I'm almost sure they'll kill her. You need to let me get her."

_I don't fucking think so._

"Fuck that!" I shouted at him. "It's because of you that Alice is dead and Bella's in this mess in the first place."

"I know that," he replied softly. "But that's all changed now."

"Yeah. Right" I scoffed.

"I don't have time now," he repeated, "but you're gonna have to trust me. I can get her out and to the treaty line, you just need to meet me there. If you attempt a rescue, then she's as good as dead."

"Fuck!" I shouted again, knowing in the back of my mind that he was right, and hating it.

"We're almost at the treaty line bro, what do you want to do?" Emmett interrupted. He'd heard our whole conversation and now watched me expectantly, waiting for my answer.

"Stop," I said closing my eyes momentarily and running a hand over them. "We'll wait here for Jacob to bring Bella to us."

Emmett nodded his understanding and pulled the jeep over on the side of the road. It felt so fucking wrong to be stopping, when all I wanted to do, more than anything, was to charge in there and get her myself. I knew Jacob hadn't been directly involved in the attacks on Charlie and Alice, but it didn't mean I automatically trusted him. If I wanted Bella out in one piece though , I didn't have a whole lot of choice.

"If anything happens to her, Jacob, I will kill you." I said quietly, but meaning every word.

"I know," he answered, before hanging up.

"What now?" Emmett asked, turning off the engine

"We wait."

-oxo-

**BPoV**

_Previously..._

Sam, tugged on my arm, causing me to stumble as he pulled me away. I felt him reach round with his other hand and snatch my phone out of my back pocket.

"Won't be needing that." he said, throwing it behind us into Edward's car.

I struggled to keep up with him as he dragged me off to God knows where, barely managing to contain the panic I felt as the enormity of the situation dawned on me.

…...

It was now virtually pitch black, and I continually stumbled as Sam dragged me along behind him. I could see nothing, but it was painfully obvious that they had excellent night vision. Paul was following behind us having healed sufficiently to walk on his own, and although I couldn't see him, I could feel him leering at me. I shuddered involuntarily and heard him laugh in the darkness.

"Not so tough without your gun, are you Swan?" he sneered.

I didn't answer, figuring that anything I said would just encourage him, that and the fact that he was right. Without Charlie's gun I was helpless.

Before long I could see a faint light in the distance, I guessed that was where we were heading for. I had no idea what would happen once we got there and the feeling of dread that had been threatening to take over, slowly began to creep up my spine. I don't know if it was the threat of my imminent demise or what, but I suddenly felt the urge to engage Sam in conversation, anything to keep him occupied.

"Edward will come looking for me, you know that, right?" I said, trying to keep the tremor from my voice.

"You're lying."

"He'll come and rip you to fucking pieces if you hurt me." I persevered. Maybe if I could make him believe that a family vampires were on their way, then he would let me go. Maybe. "He won't be on his own either. You should just let me go now."

"Do you think we're afraid of those fucking bloodsuckers?" he asked, his voice sounding incredulous. "Killing them is what we're designed for, it's the reason we are what we are."

I heard him inhale sharply, before continuing.

"Besides, he'll never get here in time." he laughed, picking up his speed slightly as he continued dragging me towards the lights.

I gasped, my heart started to hammer wildly in my chest.

_What the fuck did he mean by that?_

I'd known I was in trouble as soon as Sam appeared with Quil, but I never really accepted the fact that they might actually kill me. I know they'd killed Charlie and effectively Alice too, but somehow I just couldn't seem to believe that my life might be coming to a premature end, very, very soon. My body seemed to have accepted the idea however and began to tremble violently, suddenly feeling very cold. Of course this didn't go unnoticed my Sam.

"Oh Bella," he whispered close to my ear. "You know we can't let you live, you simply know far too much." It was more menacing than if he'd shouted it.

Defeat swept through me and my whole body felt sluggish. I found it increasingly difficult to keep going, knowing that I was most likely heading to my death. I wished time would slow down, but I could already see lights ahead of us, illuminating a small cabin. I hoped Edward was on his way, that he had come looking for me at the hotel. And when I wasn't there, he would know where to look first. I just prayed it wouldn't be too late.

When we eventually reached the cabin door, Sam pushed it open and thrust me inside, causing me to stumble and fall to the floor on my knees. I heard Paul hobble in after us, before collapsing on the sofa with a grunt.

_Good, I hope it hurts like a bitch. _

"Jesus Christ Sam, what the fuck have you done?" I didn't recognize the voice and I chanced a glance over in the direction of it. There were two other boys here, I vaguely recognized them from when I'd seen Sam's gang in the parking lot that time, but I didn't know their names.

"Shut the fuck up, Seth!" Sam snarled at him.

Oh, so that was Jacob's business partner. He looked furious and a spark of hope flared deep inside me, maybe _he_ would help me.

"First Charlie and now his fucking daughter? This needs to fucking stop!" He started pacing back and forth, before his concerned eyes met mine. I swear I saw something there, like he was trying to tell me something, but before I had chance to look further, he disappeared from my line of sight as Sam backhanded him across the face, sending him flying across the room. He immediately sprang to his feet, his body shaking violently, his fists clenched tightly at his sides.

"I said, shut the fuck up." Sam repeated, looking completely unfazed by Seth's appearance. "Go outside and keep watch," he paused, looking down at me as I remained on the floor, " in case we have any unexpected visitors."

When Seth still didn't move, I felt Sam tense beside me and when he spoke this time, his voice had an eerie yet commanding timbre to it.

"That was an order, Seth."

As I watched Seth, the shaking stopped and his shoulders slumped slightly, his head bowed in obedience and with a last apologetic look in my direction he shuffled outside and closed the door.

After a few seconds of deafening silence, Sam ordered the other boy, who's name I didn't know, and didn't fucking care to, to tie me to one of the chairs surrounding the small dining table. He complied immediately, obviously having no problems following Sam's orders as he pulled me roughly off the floor and onto the chair.

"I think we'll keep you around a little longer." Sam said , as if explaining why I was still alive."As bait."

My hands were yanked painfully behind my back and tied together, I winced as the rope cut into the soft flesh at my wrists, but ducked my head so that my hair covered my face. I wouldn't give them the satisfaction of seeing me in pain.

"What the fuck happened to you, Paul" the boy asked as he crouched down in front of me to bind my feet.

"That fucking bitch shot me." he snapped, nodding over in my direction. "Do me a favor Colin, tie her up good and tight."

"Sure, no problem." The boy, who I now knew to be Colin, grinned over at Paul, before tying my ankles to the front legs of the chair, far, far tighter than they needed to be. I bit my lip in an effort not to cry out, but I felt a traitorous tear slide down my cheek. This was it, I could sense it, the tension in the room was thick and that feeling of dread in the pit of my stomach got steadily stronger. I watched Sam through my curtain of hair; he was stood absolutely still, staring at me.

I decided there and then, if I was going to die, I was going to get some fucking answers from him first.

"Why did you kill my father?" I blurted out.

Sam opened his mouth to answer me, but Paul beat him to it.

"Because he couldn't keep his nose out of our fucking business." he said it so matter of factly, like it was a perfectly reasonable explanation. "Like father, like daughter."

"Paul!" Sam growled at him, obviously trying to shut him up. But Paul clearly loved the sound of his own voice and carried on.

"He'd been nosing around, getting Jared, the stupid fuck, to show him where the bodies had been found. Those that were found anyway. He asked one too many questions, he knew that we had something to do with the killings but couldn't prove it."

"Paul!" Sam tried again.

"Calm down Sam, she'll be joining him soon enough, so it's not like she'll get to tell anyone."

I tried not to dwell on that last bit, pushing it to the back of my mind as I listened to Paul carry on talking.

"He'd been trying to come talk to Billy, and I couldn't have that, because you know as well as I do what a talker Billy is. So," he looked me dead in the eyes, his expression cold and unrepentant, "when Jared fell sick, we took the opportunity to take his place, lured Charlie to that remote part of the woods and killed him."

I couldn't help the tears that were now pouring down my face as I listening to him tell how he had murdered my father in cold blood.

"You should have seen his face when I phased," he and Colin were laughing now, "He almost pissed himself, I swear. His hands shook so badly, he could hardly get his gun out. He -"

"Shut up" I screamed, pulling in vain against my restraints, only succeeding in making them hurt more. "You sick motherfucker, just stop!" A sob escaped me as I couldn't hold back any longer, but he wasn't finished.

"You should have seen the way we opened him up, like a knife through butter."

I tried to block him out, but the images kept flashing through my head and I sobbed harder.

"Enough." Sam spoke, his voice taking on the same tone he'd used with Seth, causing both Paul and Colin to quiet instantly.

"We need to get those bullets out of you, and then I'm going to see what's taking Quil so fucking long." Sam walked over to the kitchen as he spoke, removing a couple things from one of the drawers, I couldn't see what they were, but from the look on Paul's face, I guessed he was going to use them to get the bullets out. At the mention of Quil, I felt a sudden rush of guilt as I thought about Billy, forgetting what had happened before Sam had dragged me away. Was he dead too?

A piercing scream cut through the cabin, snapping me out of my thoughts. Colin had Paul pinned to the sofa, as Sam attempted to remove the bullets, that I'd put there. I smiled smugly as I watched him writhe in agony, his accelerated healing was making it twice has difficult to get them out and Sam was having to dig for them. I had never before taken pleasure from someone else's pain, no matter what they'd done to me, but after the events of the past two days I found myself enjoying the fact that he was hurting so much and couldn't find it in me to care.

After half an hour of screaming and cursing, Sam was finally done and began cleaning up the bloody mess. With Paul passed out and Colin keeping a watchful eye on me, Sam left to go search for Quil.

-oxo-

"I need to use the bathroom." I told Colin, hoping I could persuade him to untie me. I didn't need to go just yet, but I probably would soon, and it didn't hurt to try. With Sam gone and Paul still out of it, I figured now was my best opportunity to try and escape.

"Nice try." he answered, smirking at me. "But not gonna happen." he went back to reading his magazine, glancing up at me every few minutes to check I hadn't moved. I rolled my eyes at him, it's not like I was going anywhere.

I tried wiggling my hands and feet,to see if I could loosen the ties, but they wouldn't budge and the rope rubbed painfully at my already sore skin. I closed my eyes and let out a deep sigh, it was fucking hopeless. I sat there for another 15 minutes, or so, desperately wracking my brains for some other way to escape. I was watching Colin read, wondering how old he really was, since he still looked like a child, when his head snapped up in the direction of the door.

"Oh, shit!" he muttered, throwing his magazine on the floor and rushing towards it. He reached for the handle, pausing to listen for any movement outside. There was nothing that I could hear, but I knew that their senses were far superior to mine. I held my breath, waiting to see what would happen next, anything that caused him to act like this, had to be good news for me.

_Please be Edward._

I was not expecting to see the person who burst through the door, knocking Colin flat on his back and I didn't know whether to be happy or not.

"What the fuck have you done to Seth?" Colin snapped, jumping up quickly. He was now poised, ready to strike at any moment_**, **_fists clenched tightly at his side.

"Nothing." Jake replied, looking me over quickly, before turning his attention back to Colin.

"He's just taking a nap." He was circling him now, attempting to put himself between me and the now vibrating Colin.

"You can't phase in here, you'll kill her." Jake reasoned, his hands raised slightly, trying to calm him down.

"I don't care about her." he hissed, nodding in my direction. "She'll be dead soon enough anyway."

His body shook before he exploded into a huge, pale brown wolf, snapping and snarling. As soon as he'd started to shake, Jake had kicked at my chair, sending me flying to the back wall, my shoulder slamming into it, hard. I grunted in pain, about to curse Jake out when he phased into wolf form, taking up most of the space where I'd previously sat, moments before.

_Oh._

The two wolves faced each other, teeth bared, growling. I could do nothing but watch as they lunged at each other, teeth and claws ripping at skin as they tumbled in a mass of limbs out the door.

As much as I didn't trust Jake it was obvious now that he wasn't part of Sam's gang, he hadn't joined in with the awful things Sam, Paul and whoever else, had done. I prayed he was strong enough to take care of Colin and get me the fuck out of here. Judging by the size of Jake, he should win this fight hands down, but you never know how these things would turn out. I took a quick look over at Paul, the last thing we needed was for him to wake up and tip the odds, thankfully though he was still unconscious. I wondered briefly if Sam had given him something for the pain.

I strained to hear what was going on outside, it was obvious a fight was taking place, and they were making enough noise that anyone nearby would hear them, I hoped that Sam was too far away by now. I could hear snarling, and snapping followed by whimpers, but I had no way of telling who it was.

I almost jumped out my skin when a wolf barreled back through the door, only relaxing slightly when I realised it was Jake. He immediately phased back into human form and I had to shut my eyes to avoid looking at his naked body. Well, obviously I'd had a good look first, I know it was neither the time or place, but damn, he was ripped, and er rather well endowed. I felt the tell tale blush creep up over my skin, cursing myself for my inappropriate behavior.

"Now's not the time to be shy, Bella." he said as he began untying my hands and feet. "We need to get you out of here."

I opened my eyes, but avoided looking at him below the waist. With my last tie gone, he helped me stand, steadying me as I stumbled. My legs were a little numb from being in that position for so long.

"Can you walk?" he asked, his arm firmly round my waist as he half carried me out of the cabin.

"I think so, " I replied, as he let go of me, my feet a lot steadier this time.

"Good, 'cause we need to go. Now."

He set off at a fast jog, checking over his shoulder to make sure I was keeping up. It was a struggle at first, but the thought of what might be coming after us had my adrenalin pumping. Even so, my breathing was heavy as I almost had to run to stay with Jake. He on the other hand didn't even break a sweat. We kept going, heading to what I believed to be the road into La Push.

"How did ..you know.. where I was?" I asked between breaths.

"I saw Edward's car outside Billy's, with your scent all over it. I could smell that Sam and Paul had been there, so I figured they'd bring you here."

"Oh my God!" I shouted, stopping for a minute. "They got Billy! Is he ok? What happ-"

"He's at the hospital." he said, grabbing my arm and urging me to keep going. "He was in pretty bad shape." He didn't say anything else and I let it drop as I hurried to catch up to him.

We kept up our pace until I could just about make out the road through the trees, my lungs were on fire and I didn't know if I'd be able to run any further, but with the end in sight I called on any reserves I had and carried on. I really fucking hoped that Jake had a car waiting.

"Stop." he whispered, pulling me next to him beside a large tree.

"What is it? Why have we stopped?" I asked, wondering why we weren't running toward the road when it seemed so close.

"Look, we're being followed, one, maybe two wolves. We can't out run them, but I can hold them off long enough for you to escape." he replied, speaking hurriedly and gripping me by my arms.

"But Jake, I'm -" I started to protest, he'd just saved my life, I couldn't abandon him now.

"Bella," he interrupted, "when I say run, I want you to go as fast as you can towards the road. Don't stop and don't look back, no matter what. Edward and Emmett will be waiting for you." I searched his eyes, hoping I wouldn't see anything that implied this was him sacrificing himself for me.

"Don't worry about me." he said, reading my mind and giving me his huge mega watt smile, if only briefly. "Are you ready?"

I nodded and he let go of my arms. I could hear the faint rustle of leaves, getting louder by the second. My breathing picked up and blood rushed through my veins, my heart pumping frantically. When the first wolf became visible through the trees, Jake ran towards it, shouting at me to run before he changed mid stride into his russet wolf.

I didn't wait to see what happened next, I heard the sounds of fighting, but I did as I was told, I put my head down and ran as fast as my legs would go, never looking back. The road didn't seem to be getting any closer, like in those old horror movies where the corridor just keeps going on for ever. I ran through the trees, ignoring the branches and thorns that seemed to grab at my legs, threatening to trip me up at any moment.

Once or twice I thought I heard something behind me, but I refused to turn and look, knowing that it would only slow me down, and that if it was a wolf then there wasn't much I could do about it anyway.

Finally, I broke through the tree line, my momentum carrying me straight into the road. My sighs of relief were turned into shrieks as I was met with a pair of oncoming headlights. Surely I hadn't escaped death by psychotic wolf only to be run over by a car?

I watched on helplessly as the car screeched to halt, barely two feet in front of me. I was blinded by the headlights and when the drivers door opened I couldn't make out who it was.

"Edward?" I asked, warily. Jake had said he'd be waiting for me, but this person didn't seem tall enough to be Edward.

"Hey , are you alright? You came out of nowhere, I didn't see you until the last minute." he said, stepping out of the glare so that I could see him at last. He looked oddly familiar, but I knew I'd never seen him before. He was of medium build, with dirty blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail. He asked me again if I was ok, seeming sincere enough but there was just something off about him.

He started to approach me, I assured him I was ok, just a little shaken, but he carried on until he was stood directly in front of me. This close up, I could see he was quite good looking but incredibly pale. Just like Edward, my mind registered.

_Oh fuck! Just. Like. Edward._

-oxo-

**a/n** *** hides behind laptop* Everyone loves a cliffy, right?**

**So, who is the mysterious stranger? Where are Edward and Emmett? What do you think has happened to Jake? Let me know your thoughts.**


	14. Rescue, Reprimand and Reconnect

**a/n Thanks as always to my prereader GemmaH for all her help with this story and continued support. Special thanks and hugs to my beta tigerlilylace, for sorting out my awful punctuation and making it all pretty, when she wasn't feeling her best. Huge, huge thanks to those who are reading and especially to those who leave a review. I love reading them. I try and reply to all of them, but I can't if you have PM's disabled.**

**Disclaimer: SM owns everything Twilight related. I just make her wolves do very bad things.**

**Well it seems most of you guessed who nearly ran Bella over, so let's see what he has to say for himself.**

**Rescue, Reprimand and Reconnect**

**BPOV**

"Oh, how rude of me," he said smiling, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. "I'm James."

"Bella." I replied, still a little stunned at the fact that James might be a vampire.

"Bella..." he breathed. "What a lovely name, so... fitting."

He reached a pale hand up and stroked my cheek, while I stood motionless, unable to make myself move. His touch was ice cold, confirming all my fears, but where Edward's touch burnt trails across my skin, his just made me shiver. I looked up into his eyes, expecting to see the same golden color I'd become accustomed to, but was met with glowing ruby irises instead. I was confused, and as usual it was written all over my face.

"What's wrong sweetheart?" he cooed, pushing a lock of hair behind my ear. His tone was soft but far from soothing, there was something that felt off about him, apart from the obvious fact of him being a Vampire.

"Your eyes?" I whispered before I could stop myself. "They're red, not golden."

He barked out a laugh, his expression turning to one of understanding.

"Ahh, I see you've met the Cullens." His gentle stoking of my cheek, didn't seem quite so gentle any more. "I thought I recognized that stench, although the dog almost masked it entirely."

_Dog? Did he mean Jacob?_

"Do you the know Cullens?" I asked instead. Perhaps he was a friend.

"Let's just say our path's have crossed." From the way he said it, I got the distinct impression that their meeting had been less than friendly.

I frowned slightly, wondering what had happened between them, but let it go, asking again why his eyes were red.

"I have a different….. diet to the Cullens."

I froze, my blood running cold as I remembered something Edward had told me only this morning.

"_I mean, we eat blood. We are vampires. Only we eat animal blood, instead of human. For the sake of our humanity, I guess you could say."_

If he had a different diet, did that mean he didn't eat animals, but …..._humans_? I swallowed thickly, trying not to show that I'd just realized James was in fact _nothing_ like Edward. I moved to step back away from him, but his hand slid down from my cheek to my shoulder, keeping me in place.

"Going somewhere?...Bella?" He leaned in slightly, closing his eyes and inhaling. "Mmmm... simply delicious." I shuddered at his words, but forced myself to answer his question.

"I..um.. I'm meeting someone." I manged to get out eventually.

His fingers tightened on my shoulder, the tips now painfully digging into my skin and he raised a questioning eyebrow at me.

"Out here?" he shook his head, his expression mocking me. "There's no-one out here... but us." He emphasized the 's', sounding like a snake, ready to strike.

I swallowed down my fear, which had been my constant companion for the last few hours, and took a deep breath. I'd gone through so much tonight, through no-one's fault but my own for acting so rashly, but I refused to believe that this was it. I searched the road, snatching a glance behind me, looking for any sign of Edward and Emmett, but I couldn't see anything. It was too dark. I knew they'd be here, Jake had promised, I just needed to keep James talking long enough for them to find me. It felt eerily like deja vu, except this time with a human eating Vampire instead of a human killing wolf.

I opened my mouth, preparing to stall him, but still no idea of what to say. His sudden movement surprised me before I could speak, snapping his head up and appearing to sniff the air, taking in a long pull of the cold night.

"Fuck," he said, his eyes boring into mine. "Seems we have company, after all." His voice turned hard and cold, his hand suddenly gone from my shoulder. .

Immediately I felt strong, cold arms surround me, the familiar and comforting smell filling my senses as I suddenly found myself being lifted and moved..

_Edward._

I almost cried with relief.

"Bella, are you hurt?" he asked softly.

"No," I whispered leaning my head against his back, wanting to feel that he was really there. My shoulder was tender where James had grabbed it, but I decided now was probably not the best time to mention it. I just really wanted to leave here.

"Good," he said, reaching a hand back to grasp mine, but remained facing James. "Go get in the jeep with Emmett, I just need to have a word with James." His voice was soft but had a hard edge to it.

I didn't even try to argue, I was so exhausted I didn't even complain when Emmett scooped me up and carried me to his car, instead of letting me walk. I was so relieved to be safe, finally, that I huddled up on the back seat, under Edward's coat that had been left there and closed my eyes, hoping to forget it all for just a few minutes.

-oxo-

**EPOV**

I stared hard into his eyes as I attempted to move past his mental block and read his thoughts. It wasn't the first time we'd crossed paths, so he knew all about my mind reading ability. The last time I saw him, he had been with his red haired, and equally vicious, mate and one other.

They'd arrived at a quiet town, where we'd been leading a peaceful existence for a few years. Unfortunately, their taste for human blood had caused us major problems and we'd been forced to leave. But not before a vicious fight had taken place between Rosalie and James' mate, Victoria. When James moved in to help her, I, being the fastest, reached them first and rushed to Rose's aid, pulling Victoria away and destroying her in the process. When the rest of my family arrived, James and his companion, Laurent, fled, but not before allowing me a last look into his thoughts.

They were filled with the promise of revenge for his lost mate. Although that had been 37 years ago, and we had never seen either of them again, until now, I didn't think for one minute that he had forgotten. Vampires never forget.

When Emmett and I had heard nothing from Jacob or Bella for over an hour, I'd begun to get worried. Despite Emmett's attempts to pacify me, by saying it was far too soon to fucking worry, I insisted that we checked further up and down the road, to make sure we hadn't missed her.

We'd left the jeep and started walking back up the road, and had my heart not already stopped beating over one hundred years ago, it would surely have frozen when I smelled Bella's sweet scent alongside _his._ I yelled at Emmett to fetch the jeep as I ran towards them, as fast as I was able, praying to every God imaginable, that I wouldn't be too late.

He'd had his motherfucking hand on her, but luckily for him, had quickly removed it when he sensed my presence. I'd had every intention of keeping my hands off her, not wanting to show him how much she meant to me. But when I was within touching distance, it was impossible not to wrap my arms around her. Judging from the vile images in his head, that he had so graciously allowed me to see, he knew exactly how much I cared for her.

Now, however, his mind was blank and I had absolutely no idea what he planned to do next.

-oxo-

"Well that was fun." Emmett's sarcastic remark met me as I climbed back into the passenger seat of his jeep, slamming the door behind me. "What did the lowlife motherfucker have to say for himself to get you so riled up?" He quickly started the engine and we pulled away, in the opposite direction to James.

"He didn't say much, just the usual crap; he's just passing through, won't cause us any problems." I caught Emmett's eye and he looked about as convinced as I did when James had fed me that bunch of crap. He hated our family and everything we stood for, believing our way of life to be an embarrassment to the vampire populace. He would gladly exploit any chance he had to make life difficult for us. It wasn't his words that had fucking terrified me and pissed me off though, it had been his twisted and depraved thoughts.

I glanced into the back seat and seeing Bella fast asleep, all tucked up in my jacket, made the venom pool in mouth as I thought about what I'd like to do to James for the vile things he'd pictured doing to her. I leaned back and closed my eyes, rubbing my hand over them as I proceeded to tell Emmett about my encounter with James' mind in graphic detail.

_Bella bent over the arm of a couch, with James fucking her roughly from behind. I can hear her screams as he climaxes and sinks his teeth into her neck, draining her completely and throwing her body aside like a piece of trash._

_Bella, tied up, hands above her head as he tortures her. Tears rolling down her beautiful face as she sobs my name. "Edward can't help you now," he says, slicing open her wrist and drinking from her. "It's just us."_

He saved the best til last.

_Bella, running through the forest, again screaming my name as she looks round frantically searching for me. James leaps down in front of her, from the tree where he was waiting, and backhands her sending her flying across the forest floor. She slams into the ground, her leg snapping like a twig just below the knee and her scream is almost too real for me to bear. He advances on her and she tries to crawl away, but he's on her before she can move more than a few inches, grabbing her by the hair and yanking her head up. _

"_Look who's here to save you." He whispers to her._

_Her eyes focus in the distance and she must see me because my name falls softly from her lips,_

"_Edward..." _

"_Such a shame he's too late." he hisses, snapping her neck as I arrive, seconds after._

He played these images like a film through his head while calmly telling me that he wasn't staying and wouldn't be any trouble. To the casual observer, it looked to be a fairly civil exchange between the two of us. But that was far from the fucking truth, we both knew he had every intention of carrying through with one of those scenarios, but I had no idea of which one, how he planned to get her or where he would take her. He'd been very careful to show me nothing but the actual act of killing. I'd wanted to tear his throat out there and then, but I'd sensed something in the woods and wanted to get out of there as quickly as possibly.

I heard fabric tearing and when I looked down I saw I'd been gripping the sides of my seat so hard, I'd torn right through the upholstery.

"Why the fuck didn't you just kill him?" Emmett asked incredulously, ignoring the fact that I'd just ruined _another_ part of his precious car.

"I wanted to rip his fucking head off, more than you know, but he wasn't alone and I didn't want to start anything with Bella being so close by.

He raised an eyebrow at me, silently asking me to elaborate.

"There was another vampire in the trees over the other side of the road, Laurent I think. I didn't know if there were any others and couldn't take that chance."

"So, you think he'll come for her?"

"I'm certain of it." I replied, trying unsuccessfully to erase the horrendous scenes from my mind.

"Why the fuck did she have to go to La Push in the first place," I whisper yelled, not wanting to wake Bella up and have her see me like this. "She fucking promised. As if it wasn't bad enough to have the wolves after her, now we have that sadistic motherfucker to worry about!" I was furious at the situation we now found ourselves in, barely managing to keep my hands from inflicting further damage on Emmett's car. I didn't think he'd be as understanding a second time.

"I'm going to check in with Carlisle and Jasper when we get back, were going to need help dealing with James. Will you take care of Bella for me?" I asked, avoiding his gaze, I knew he'd have that questioning look again. I sighed, running my hands through my hair.

"I'm just too wound up, it would probably be a bad idea for me to be around her at the moment."

I knew if I had to talk to her now, I'd just end up shouting and that's not how I wanted things to go. I was beyond relieved that she was back with me, safe and sound, and I wanted nothing more than to disappear into my bedroom with her and never come out. But there was also a part of me that wanted to rant and rage at her for putting herself in so much danger. Until I could get that part under control, I needed to stay away from her.

He nodded in understanding and turned onto our drive, slowing down as we neared the house. I was out the car before we'd fully stopped and with a last look at Bella, still sleeping peacefully, I disappeared into the house, leaving her to Emmett.

-oxo-

**BPOV**

The slamming of a car door stirred me from my sleep and I struggled to recall where I was. As memories of my day burst to the surface I opened my eyes and tried to sit up, realizing as I did so, that I wasn't in bed like I'd assumed. I was in a pair of strong arms, being cradled against a very hard but comforting chest as I was carried up the stairs.

"Sshh, Bella." A warm, soft voice whispered next to my ear. "Go back to sleep."

My body instantly tensed, although I recognized the voice, it wasn't the one I'd been expecting to hear.

"Emmett?" I ask quietly, "Where's Edward.?" I was still wrapped up in his coat, his scent lingering around me, but I wanted the real thing. I felt Emmett sigh before answering me.

"He's checking in with Carlisle and Jasper. He's still a little _on edge_" He replied with a chuckle. "I'm sure he'll be up to see you when he's calmed down." he said, pushing open the door to Edward's room and walking across the room to depositing me on the bed.

"Get some sleep, Bella. It's been an _interesting_ day for you, hasn't it?" he said grinning at me.

"You could say that." I managed to smile ruefully. Now that I was here, safe, none of it seemed real, more like a nightmare I'd finally woken up from. But the fact that Edward was still too angry to be close to me, was a harsh reminder of how real it was.

"Is he very mad with me?" I asked Emmett as he reached the door to leave.

Turning round slowly, he looked me in the eye and offered me a small smile.

"I'd be lying if I said no, Bella." my breath caught I at his words, and he came to sit by me on the bed.

"You need to understand that Edward's never felt like this before. He was frantic when Jake phoned saying that Sam had taken you. He wanted to drive into La Push and get you himself, the only thing stopping him, was the threat of Sam probably killing you if he did.

I shuddered at the memory of Sam wanting to use me as bait. I hated to think what would have happened had Edward come to get me himself.

"He didn't know if Jake would be able to get you out alive, and Bella, if you had died, Edward would have been right behind you."

I couldn't help the sob that escaped me, the thought of Edward killing himself was more than I could bear. My near death experience had forced me to realize that I wanted him, no matter what he was. I didn't care, I just wanted to be with him.

"Oh God." I sniffed, wiping my eyes with my sleeve. "I never thought how he would feel, I was just so mad at Sam and his gang."

"Hey, I get it Bella." he winked, "you wanted some revenge. I think its kinda hot that you ran off into La Push with guns blazing!"

"Emmett!" I admonished him, slapping him on the arm. Although I hardly knew him, having met him only once before, and the sheer size of him alone would normally have scared me shitless, I felt oddly at ease in his company.

"Just give him some time." He said, getting up and playfully ruffling my hair. I stuck my tongue out at him, thankful for his attempt at lifting the tension. At the mention of La Push though, I suddenly thought of Jake. I had no idea what had happened to him after I ran and I felt yet more guilt at my apparent lack of concern until now.

"Has anyone heard from Jake?"

"No, nothing yet, but I'm sure we will soon, don't worry." He answered, trying to reassuring me, before turning to leave.

I watched as he disappeared through the door, closing it softly behind him. I snuggled down into Edward's pillows and drifted into a deep sleep, the strain of the day finally taking it's toll.

-oxo-

The next time I woke, it must have been morning, because I could make out the sun shining around Edward's heavy black curtains. I opened my eyes and stretched, wincing slightly as I felt my shoulder pull. Edward was beside me in a second, causing me to jump as I'd not heard him come in.

He leaned in to kiss me, but stopped before his lips reached mine, his nose wrinkling in disgust and his face darkening.

"What?" I asked him, wondering what could possibly be wrong. I know I hadn't cleaned my teeth yet, but .surely it wasn't that bad.

"You smell." he said through clenched teeth.

Oh, perhaps it was _that_ bad. I immediately covered my mouth with my hand.

"No, Bella. That's not what I meant." He said, a small smile tugging at his lips. "You smell of _them_."

_Oh_.

While I was relieved that my morning breath hadn't offended Edward, I hated the though that I smelled bad to him.

"I can't be near your when you reek of their scent, it reminds me how close I was to losing you." He snapped, standing up and pacing back and forth across the room, tugging at his hair.

I was out of a bed in a matter of seconds, offering to go shower right away. I couldn't stand to see him like this, especially because of me. He nodded in my direction but didn't stop his pacing. I all but ripped off my clothes in an effort to get in the shower as quick as humanly possible. Figuring since we'd already slept together, I shouldn't feel shy about being naked in front of him and ignoring the niggling pain in my shoulder, I took everything off and scuttled off towards his bathroom.

"What the fuck is that?" he roared. His thunderous voice stopping me dead in my tracks.

I turned to face him, hesitantly, a trickle of fear creeping up my spine as I remembered what Emmett had said. He was on me before I could face him fully, cool fingers surprisingly gentle on my shoulder. I should have known he'd see it and I kicked myself for not undressing in the bathroom,

"I'm sorry," he said, noticing my wide eyes and frightened expression. "I didn't mean to scare you, but you need to tell me who the fuck did this to you." His voice wasn't loud anymore, but still full of anger. Thankfully I now knew it wasn't directed solely at me.

My eyes were drawn to where he was touching me, his cold hands feeling remarkably good against the soreness there. I gasped as I saw what had gotten him so mad. There were five, long and angry looking bruises in the shape of fingers, attached to a larger bruise, in the shape of a palm. It looked like James had been holding me harder than I'd realized at the time. The bruises were starting to merge so that soon my whole shoulder would be one big purple mess. He looked up at my face, waiting expectantly for my answer.

"It was James." I muttered quietly and I heard him hiss under his breath. "He grabbed me when I tried to get away." A long, low, growl emanated from deep within Edwards chest, his fists clenching at his side as he struggled to contain his temper.

I paused, not sure whether we were finished or not, shifting from foot to foot, my arms attempting vainly to cover my nakedness. Seeing my embarrassment, he reached out to grasp my chin, with a soft and gentle touch.

"Go shower, Bella. I'll be waiting when you come back out."

I didn't need telling twice and almost ran into the bathroom closing the door behind me, breathing a big sigh of relief and thankful to be on my own for a minute. I rested against the door for a second, my heart eventually returning to normal after it's mini scare by Edward. Hearing a crash from the bedroom I decided that the sooner I smelled like me the better, and hurriedly turned on the shower, not waiting for the water to warm up before stepping in.

After the initial splash of cold that nearly made me scream in shock, the water warmed up pretty fast and I was soon relaxing under the soothing spray. I reached for Edward's shower gel, smiling at the thought of smelling just like him. Squeezing some into the palm of my hand, I closed my eyes and began to rub the gel over my body.

"Let me help you with that." His voice was rough, startling me, having been unaware that he'd even entered the bathroom, let alone the shower.

His icy lips ghosted over my neck and I breathed in sharply, Cool hands enveloped mine, both of us now rubbing the foaming gel all over me.

"Fuck, I'm sorry Bella." He said, a hint of anger remaining in his tone. His mouth trailed cold kisses down my neck and across my shoulders, paying particular attention to my bruises. "It's just the the thought of _James_ laying one fucking finger on you makes me want to break something; preferably him."

I could feel the tension in his touch as he struggled to reign in his temper and his need to protect me, I shivered in anticipation of what was to come. I'd never seen this side of him before and although I should feel bad because he was only worried out me, I couldn't help the waves of excitement and desire that coiled deep in my belly.

His hands made their own way back up my sides, barely brushing the underside of my breasts. My head fell back, settling on his chest as a contented sigh escaped my mouth.

"He's a very, very dangerous vampire." he murmured, nibbling at my skin. "Especially to you, Bella."

His hands slid up and over me, cupping my breasts firmly and stroking my nipples with each thumb. He stepped closer, pulling us flush against each other so I could feel him, hard against my ass.

"I would never forgive myself if anything ever happened to you." He whispered almost harshly, rubbing his length between my cheeks, and moaning at the friction it awarded him.

I was positively panting now, my body begging for his touch, everywhere. As if reading my mind he squeezed my breasts once more, rolling my nipples between his fingers and thumb, causing me to gasp at the delicious pain before moving his hands further south, his skin never leaving mine as he sought out my aching center. He ran his fingers back and forth through my wetness, but never ventured inside.

"I was so angry with you for going to La Push." he hissed against my ear, nudging my legs apart with his knee. He fisted a hand in my hair, urging me to lean forward, and brace myself on the shower wall in front . My legs trembled as I waited in position. I knew that this was going to be nothing like our first time. It wouldn't be slow or sweet, there was too much pent up energy and tension on both sides. It would be hard and fast and I couldn't fucking wait.

"I know." I replied, pushing my ass back and grinding against him. "I'm sorry."

He stopped stroking me and I almost cried out at the loss. Wrapping his hands around my hips, he slid his cock between my legs, it now taking the place of his fingers.

"You lied to me, Bella." His hands tightened on me, holding me in place as he continued to move. It wasn't nearly enough and I whimpered at the exquisite torture. "I told you everything, all my secrets and yet you lied to me. You almost got yourself killed." His voice faltered on the last word, my heart ached for the pain I could hear in his voice.

"I'm so sorry." I breathed. My brain couldn't form a more appropriate response with him still moving against me like that.

"What the fuck were you thinking?" he asked, his voice rising and I could feel his anger building again.

I whirled around to face him, catching him off guard, so that when I pushed him him back, he actually stumbled.

"I don't fucking know!" I yelled, the passion I'd felt only moments before, morphing into anger that now matched his. "I'd just found out that those fucking wolves had murdered my father and Alice. I was hurt and confused, I just wanted to know why!" I slapped my fists against his hard chest, breathing heavily as we both stared at each other.

I barely had chance to register him moving, before his mouth was on mine. The kiss was hard, demanding and I gave into it willing, slipping my arms up round his neck and grabbing onto his hair. He hooked his hands under my thighs, lifting me up and slamming me roughly against the wall, angling my body so my uninjured shoulder took the brunt of the impact. I wrapped my legs around him, pulling him towards me, not giving a fuck about my shoulder.

"I want to be inside you." he whispered against my lips, leaning back slightly to look at me.

I could feel him _there_, begging for entrance.

"I thought I'd lost you and I just... fuck Bella... I just need you."

"Then take me..." I breathed, forcing his mouth back to mine, pouring everything I had into the kiss to show him that I was his.

He thrust into me without further warning and I screamed out loud at the feeling of his cock filling me so completely.

"Oh fuck!" I cried, my head falling back against the wall.

"Never..." _thrust,_ "leave me..."_ thrust_, "again."

I shook my head.

"Never."

His eyes locked with mine, all traces of anger gone.

"Promise me..."

"I promise..."

His thrusts continued relentlessly, harder, faster, pinning me to the tiled wall as I felt the tell tale signs of my impending orgasm. I hung on for dear life as he plunged into me again and again, setting a punishing rhythm that I could barely keep up with.

"Oohh... so... close..." I moaned breathlessly.

His mouth took advantage of my exposed neck, his tongue lapping at the delicate skin there, while one of hands snaked between us to rub my clit.

"Come for me, Bella." he urged almost desperately, willing me to let go.

"Fuck...Edward!" I screamed, as his dirty words and his ice cold touch on my most sensitive parts sent me tumbling over the edge. I clung to him tightly as I rode out my orgasm, kissing him wherever I could reach, and soon he was coming too, yelling out my name and spilling deep inside me.

He nuzzled my neck, holding me close while I recovered from what was quite easily the best sexual experience I'd ever had. As my breathing returned to normal, he walked us both out of the shower and lowered me gently to the bathroom floor, pausing only long enough to dry us both off before picking me back up and carrying me to his bed.

He climbed in after me, tucking me into his side and pulling the comforter up around us. I relaxed into him, truly content for the first time in weeks as I closed my eyes and breathed him in. I knew that things were far from finished with the wolves and possibly James, and there was still the _Alice _situation to get my head around, but for now I wanted to avoid the outside world and just enjoy the feeling of being safely wrapped up in Edwards arms.

-oxo-

**a/n So, nothing really bad happened to Bella this chapter *gasp*, in fact I think she had a great time in this one. No cliffy either. Reviews are better than angry shower sex with Edward! (well clearly not, but leave one anyway.)**


	15. What Happens Now?

**a/n Thanks as always to my prereader extraordinare, GemmaH, for all her help with this story and continued support. If you're not already reading her stories, then go do so after this, they're fab. Thanks as always to my beta tigerlilylace. Hugs and kisses to those who are reading and especially to those who leave a review. I love reading them. I try and reply to all of them, but I can't if you have PM's disabled.**

**We left Bella happily tucked up in bed with Edward. Let's see what he has to say...**

**What Happens Now?**

**EPOV**

I heard the unmistakeable sound of tires hitting the gravel of our drive and pulled Bella tighter into my arms. I recognized the car as Carlisle's and I knew that he'd want to talk to me; I just wasn't ready to let go of Bella quite yet. She stirred in her sleep, one hand gripping my t-shirt firmly as if sensing him too and not wanting to let me go either. I bent my head slightly and inhaled her scent, reassuring myself that she was indeed safe and here in my arms. Yesterday had been one of the worst days of my many years. Just the idea of losing her had nearly broken me.

_Edward? Carlisle and Esme are back from the hospital. We need to talk about James and the wolves._

Emmett's thoughts drifted up from downstairs. I gave Bella a tender kiss on the top of her head and eased myself out from underneath her, careful not to wake her up. I pulled the door closed behind me and made my way down to the living room where I knew they'd all be waiting. I'd spoken to Carlisle briefly on the phone, but I'd not really gone into much detail. As I entered the room, all eyes turned to me. Esme was the first to speak.

"How's Bella?" Her concerned face made me smile. Although she'd only met Bella a couple of times, Esme knew how important she was to me and that in itself was enough for her maternal instincts to come out.

"She's fine. Apart from a few _bruises," _I said, taking a moment to push down the anger inside me at the thought of James' hands on her. "She's sleeping now, still exhausted from yesterday."

"And this morning." Emmett coughed under his breath.

I glowered at him, daring him to say more. I'd known he was still in the house when Bella and I were in the shower, but under the circumstances I thought he'd have had the decency to keep it to himself. Obviously I was wrong. Fortunately for him, he chose not to elaborate on his statement, which everyone had heard. Esme gave me a knowing smirk and Carlisle just raised an eyebrow and shook his head, resigned to the fact that I'd disregarded his request not to get involved.

"So," Carlisle began. "What the hell is James doing here in Forks?"

"That's exactly what we'd like to know," I replied, clenching my fists. "He must have found out that we were here. Why the fuck else would he turn up at exactly the same place as us tonight?"

The room fell silent. From the thoughts swirling round the room, I could tell everyone was remembering our last encounter with James. It hadn't been pretty. I had to block Emmett's thoughts as they dived into the gutter when he thought about Rosalie fighting with Victoria. Trust fucking Emmett to find that hot.

"We knew he'd want revenge eventually," Carlisle said, breaking the silence. "She was his mate, after all."

He looked up at me then and I didn't need to read his mind to know what he was thinking. I had been the one to kill Victoria. Although James hated all of us, he would start with me.

"Does he know about you and Bella?" he asked.

I'd only told him that we'd run into James, not the circumstances surrounding it. I proceeded to fill him and Esme in on the whole thing: Bella meeting James, his vile and dangerous thoughts concerning her and the fact that he hadn't been alone. The look on Carlisle's face told me that he was as worried as I was.

"He's going to come after her, you know; now that he knows she's yours."

I slumped down onto the sofa next to Emmett, my head in my hands.

"Fuck!" I hissed, grabbing handfuls of my hair. I knew the things he was capable of and I couldn't allow him to get anywhere near her.

"Don't worry, Edward. We'll protect her." Esme's gentle voice soothed my worries a little and she began to rub circles on my back. "Won't we Carlisle?" she asked him, challenging him to say otherwise.

I knew he wasn't thrilled that I'd chosen to be with Bella and tell her the truth about us, but I hoped he'd come to accept the fact that I was in love with her.

"Yes, of course. I'm not blind, I see the way things have progressed between the two of them," he said, giving me a rueful smile. I felt myself relax, allowing my poor ravaged hair a small reprieve. "She's family now."

-oxo-

We discussed James and his possible courses of action for the next hour or so, trying to figure out the best way to keep Bella safe. The most obvious way was to keep her here; there was no way she was leaving this house unless it was with one or more of us. I just knew she wasn't going to like that, but I'd deal with it later.

The change in breathing coming from my room upstairs, alerted us to the fact that Bella was waking up. Esme disappeared to get her something to eat while the rest of us waited for her to come down.

I don't know what she was doing up there, but it seemed an age before we heard her descending the stairs. She paused as she entered the living room, saying hello to Emmett and Carlisle, and giving me a shy look and a small smile.

"Edward."

"Morning, Bella," I replied, grinning widely. She looked glorious. Her hair had been tamed a little, but still had that wild, 'freshly fucked' look about it. But best of all, she was wearing one of my t-shirts and she smelled of me. I felt myself hardening at the thought of my scent all over her and immediately tried to will it away. I didn't need to give Emmett anymore ammunition. I was still blocking out his thoughts, but one look at his wiggling eyebrows told me it was too late.

Carlisle cleared his throat and asked Bella to come and sit down, telling her that Esme was busy making her something to eat and would be along in a minute. She came over to sit by me, which made me grin even wider, and I draped my arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer to me. I saw her wince slightly out the corner of my eye, and cursed myself for pressing too hard on her injured shoulder. Carlisle noticed it as well and instantly slipped into doctor mode.

"Are you hurt, Bella?"

"It's just my shoulder," she replied, glancing up at me. "Um...where James grabbed it yesterday."

I couldn't help the growl that rumbled in my chest at her words. The next time I saw him, I was going to kill him. I wished I could have ended him last night, but I wanted Bella nowhere near us when that happened.

"Can I take a look?" he asked her, already moving over to us.

She nodded her head and slipped out from under my arm. The t-shirt she was wearing was big enough that he could pull the neck down a little to see her shoulder, without having to take it off.

I had to look away, not wanting to see the evidence of his hands on her again. She gasped sharply as Carlisle pressed his cool fingers over the bruised area. He lifted her arm, gently rotating her shoulder and her heart rate increased. I threw him a warning look to tell him that was enough.

_Ok, Edward. I was just making sure she didn't need further treatment._

"How's your wrist Bella?" His fingers moved over her wrist as he spoke.

"It's much better, thank you. Just a little sore from the ropes."

Shit! I thought to myself. I should have tended to her injuries instead of attacking her. I'd had every intention of doing that when I'd entered her room last night, but when I'd smelled them all over her,I couldn't think straight.

"I'll get you some cream for your wrists and something to take the pain away from your shoulder."

"Thank you,." she answered quietly, moving back to my side.

As Carlisle turned to leave the room and fetch his bag, he stopped and looked back at Bella.

"Billy will be pleased to hear that you're ok. He was asking about you when he woke up this morning."

Her hands flew to her mouth and her eyes widened in shock.

"He's ok? When I saw Quil attack him, I felt for sure that he was..." Her voice trailed off as her breath caught in her throat. I gathered her into my arms once again, nuzzling her hair and whispering words of comfort.

"He's in the hospital, Bella. His injuries were very severe, but it looks like he'll be back to his old self, eventually."

She breathed a deep sigh of relief and sagged against me. I continued to stroke her hair until Carlisle returned with his medical supplies. Once Bella had been fixed up and Esme had insisted we let her eat the sandwich she had prepared, she started to tell us her version of events from yesterday, starting with her arrival in La Push.

She talked animatedly, her good arm waving around as she got further into her story. The more I heard about Paul and his predilection for vulnerable girls, the more I realized just how lucky Bella had been. I was beyond proud that she had shot the fucker. Twice. I knew it wouldn't have permanently injured him, but the fact that my girl had faced him, aimed her gun and pulled the trigger showed just how brave she was. I would have given anything to see his face in that moment. Sam was no better; the supposed leader of the pack was clearly influenced by Paul. The two were unstable and I wanted to talk to Carlisle alone about what we needed to do concerning them. If they came anywhere near Bella again, it would be the last thing they did, but I also didn't want them roaming around killing other innocent people either.

I had to grudgingly admit that I may have been wrong about Jake. From what Bella said, it looked like he'd been protecting his father and countless others the only way he knew how. It didn't mean I agreed with some of his actions, because the consequences had been dire; Alice's situation in particular. I could, however, sympathize with the position he was in.

When Bella told us that they'd tied her to a chair to use as bait for me, I almost lost it again. It took several strokes of her hand up and down my back to calm me down. She finished up by describing how Jake had burst in and saved the day. I knew she'd never have gotten out alive if it hadn't been for him, and I was grateful beyond words, but it still got under my skin that he had been the one to save her. I wanted to be the one to always keep her safe.

"Has anyone heard from him? Is he alright?" Her words pulled me from my thoughts, but as I went to answer, I heard the soft patter of paws on the ground outside. From the thoughts flowing my way, I knew who it was and he had some very interesting news.

"Why don't you ask him yourself?" I whispered in her ear, getting up to go and let him in the front door.

-oxo-

"Oh my God! Jake!" Bella cried, jumping out of her seat and rushing over to him.

She gingerly ran her finger tips along the huge gash that ran from his left shoulder to the opposite hip. It was starting to heal, but must have been deep for it to have taken so long. I was assuming it had happened the night before when he'd rescued Bella.

Her eyes scanned the rest of him, checking for further injury. He was shirtless, _naturally_, and his thoughts dipped below the belt as he stood there watching her. I forced myself not to react as her gaze traveled over his naked chest. She was only making sure he was ok, nothing more. I heard Emmett chuckling at my obvious discomfort, but chose to ignore him.

_Ooh, Eddie, looks like Bella fancies a bit of wolf boy. I bet I know which bit too._

That was it! Before Bella could register that I'd even moved, I flew across the room, slapped Emmett round the back of the head and was back in my seat acting as if nothing had happened. Carlisle simply smirked and since Esme had disappeared again, I appeared to have gotten away with it.

"Ow!" Emmett shouted, rubbing his head.

Bella turned at the sound, looking at him and then over to me, raising an eyebrow but saying nothing. She returned her gaze to Jake and I shot a glare at Emmett, warning him not to say or think anything else about her in that way.

"What happened?" she asked, her big eyes now focused on his.

A huge grin spread across his face, and as I read his thoughts I soon understood why.

"I guess Sam didn't like sharing his Alpha Status."

Bella gasped, and even Carlisle and Emmett looked a little shocked.

"You talked to Billy, right?" he asked Bella. "So you know all about me not wanting to take my rightful place when I joined the pack, and deferring the position of Alpha to Sam?"

Bella nodded, so he carried on.

According to Jake, when he arrived at his house he found Quil taunting his Dad. Instead of finishing Billy off like Sam had ordered, he'd apparently decided to play with him for a while. Luckily for Billy, Jake turned up and interrupted him before he went too far. From Jake's thoughts I could see that Quil wouldn't be of any use to Sam for a while at least. When Quil ran off, Jake had wanted to follow, to finish him, but Billy was too badly injured and needed getting to the hospital as fast as possible.

The sight of his father, so broken at the hands of a fellow pack member, had forced him to take back what was rightfully his. When Jake had rescued Bella and told her to run for the road, they were being followed by Sam and Collin. Sam attempted to use his position as Alpha to order Jake to follow Bella and kill her. Jake refused, and after a battle of wills between them, he was released from Sam's leadership. He was no longer affected by Sam's orders and now stood alone as a solitary Alpha.

"Does this mean you can go to the police now since you and Billy are no longer under threat from Sam?" Bella asked him, a hopeful expression on her face.

I had my doubts whether that would even matter to them anymore. They seemed so far beyond the law now, I doubted the police would even get near them without an all-out fight. Jake rubbed his hands over his eyes and sighed in frustration.

"I think it's too late for that." It appeared that Jake was thinking along the same lines as me. "Paul and Sam are too far gone. There's nothing the police could do."

The room fell into an uneasy silence as we all considered the implications of his statement. I looked over at Bella, who was now perched next to me on the sofa again. Her bottom lip was held between her teeth, a clear indication that something was bothering her. I reached over and gently tugged it free, running my thumb over the red spot she'd created.

"What's wrong?" I whispered.

"There are still things I don't understand," she whispered back.

I didn't really know why we were talking so quietly, since everyone in the room, bar Bella, had supernatural hearing.

"Such as?" I asked, my voice back to normal.

Her eyes flicked over to Jake, lingering for a moment before returning to me. It was long enough to catch his attention though, and he asked what it was she wanted to know.

"Why me?"

He looked at her and shook his head, a little puzzled by her question.

"What do you mean?"

"In the forest that morning. Why did the wolves attack me? I hadn't done anything to them."

He sighed before answering her.

"I didn't know they'd follow me, Bella. I purposefully avoided phasing so that they wouldn't know where I was going, but somehow they found out. When Paul caught your scent in the same area where he'd killed Charlie, well it made him a little crazy and that's why he went for you."

My fists clenched as I remembered that morning. Fucking Paul. I wished we'd killed him when we had the chance. He wouldn't be so fucking lucky next time. I reached for Bella, taking her hand in mine. I wanted to escape back upstairs for a while, just the two of us, but she wasn't done with her questions yet.

"I know that you were just trying to protect your Dad, and I sort of understand that." She took a deep breath, preparing for what she wanted to say next. "But why the fuck didn't you tell me that the wolves were planning on coming to my house?"

Her hands fisted the bottom of my t-shirt that she had on and her breathing and heart rate picked up considerably. She was barely managing to control her anger.

"Alice died because of you!" she spat at him, causing him to flinch.

"She wasn't supposed to even be there!" he shot back, his voice rising as he started to pace the room. I pulled Bella against me, wrapping my arm around her protectively.

"He ordered me to get you out of the house so they could steal your dad's files. Sam didn't want you snooping around anymore." He paused to look at her, his eyes pleading with her to understand. "I thought you'd be safe if you were with me. That's why I made you promise to bring Alice too. God, Bella. I never wanted either of you to get hurt. You have to believe me."

"I do, I guess." Her voice sounded small and I could tell it was all catching up with her. Dredging everything up from the past few days was taking its toll and I wanted to get her out of here. She buried her head in my shoulder, and closed her eyes for a few moments. I rubbed my hand up and down her arm, kissing her hair and trying to convey how much I felt for her.

Before I could make our excuses and leave, three sets of vampire eyes and one wolf's all snapped towards the front of the house. Emmett was out of his seat and almost to the door before Jake shouted to stop him.

"It's Seth!"

"And?" I asked, regretfully disentangling myself from Bella and rushing to join Emmett.

"He was in the same position as me. He doesn't like what Sam and Paul are doing anymore than I do. Please just hear what he has to say."

I grunted a 'fine' and remained in the living room while Carlisle swept past us both and went to let Seth in. I was becoming more than a little anxious with the prospect of yet another wolf coming into our house. A couple of minutes later Carlisle reappeared, followed by a tall, built and typically shirtless Quileute boy. I chanced a quick look at Emmett, who mercifully kept quiet this time, but couldn't resist a wiggle of his eyebrows.

"How's your jaw?" Jake asked him in lieu of a greeting, pulling him in for a one-armed hug.

"Not too bad, fucker!" Seth replied, stroking along a darkening line next to his mouth. "Did you really have to hit me so hard?" As our eyes flicked between the two of them, trying to follow the conversation, Jake explained that he'd had to knock Seth out when he freed Bella, so that Sam wouldn't suspect anything. At the mention of Bella, Seth looked immediately ashamed and walked towards her a little. I couldn't help the growl from bubbling out at his proximity to her.

"I'm so sorry Bella. I didn't know that Sam was planning on kidnapping you and I swear I was trying to think of a way to get you out of there, when Jake turned up and punched me." I felt her nod her acceptance of his apology, her head barely moving.

"I don't mean to be rude, but it's been a long day so far. What can we do for you exactly?"

Seth positioned himself next to Jacob, so he could address the whole room.

"After Jake left, Sam went crazy."

_You mean crazier! _thought Emmett, forcing me to suppress a smirk.

"He started breaking shit and throwing stuff around! He was so pissed that you were able to leave the pack and not be under his control anymore," he said, glancing at Jake. "I'd already decided to join you, and when he ordered me to go and find out were you'd gone, I realized his orders had no effect on me anymore either."

"Well, as pleased as I am for all your new found freedom," I added, unable to hide my sarcasm. "What does any of it have to do with us?"

"I was getting to that part!" he huffed. "Sam believed that Bella would come here, since she told Sam that you," he said looking directly at me. "Would come for her. He's organizing all the remaining wolves in readiness to attack you and your family."

Fuck!

That was all we needed. With James and Laurent probably plotting to exact their revenge any day, we now had a bunch of angry, and in some cases insane, wolves on our backs. I looked to Carlisle for ideas because I was starting to feel helpless and I didn't like it one fucking bit. With only four vampires and possibly a couple of wolves, there weren't enough of us to repel two possible attacks and protect Bella at the same time.

_I know, Edward. We could easily be outnumbered._

Carlisle shared his thought's with me, before addressing the wolves.

"Thank you for coming here to tell us this," he said, offering them his hand to shake. "It means a great deal. I believe Esme has been busy preparing food again, I'm sure she'd be delighted to feed you both." He led them off towards the kitchen, leaving me, Emmett and Bella alone for the minute.

"So," Emmett said, grinning and rubbing his hands together. "Looks like we're in for a fight!"

I couldn't help but smile at his gleeful enthusiasm, and if it wasn't for the fragile human I held in my arms, I would be looking forward to it as well. I wanted nothing more than rid the world of James and Paul; maybe Sam too, but I didn't want to have to leave Bella's side to do it. She'd been quiet since Seth had arrived, so I slipped a finger under her chin, tilting her head up so I was able to see her face.

"Are you ok?"

"Yes, but..." She took a deep breath and reached up to wrap her hand around mine. "It's never going to end, is it?"

"It will, soon. I promise." I leaned in and captured her lips with mine. She responded at once, her mouth opening up to let my eager tongue inside. It had been far too long since I'd kissed her; at least four hours. I felt a modicum of peace as I held her like this, connected to her once again. As our kiss deepened, going from soft and slow to something a little more heated, I heard a throat clear from behind me.

_Ah, Carlisle. Just like old times._

I reluctantly broke the kiss, tucking her back under my arm, and shifted to face Carlisle and Emmett, the latter of whom was now grinning even more, if that were possible. Carlisle looked a little uneasy, and as I tried to read his thoughts I found that he was blocking me. That could only mean I wasn't going to like what he had to say.

"Let's hear it," I hissed.

He smirked at my abruptness, knowing full well I'd just tried to read his mind, and failed.

"We need the whole family back together to be able to protect Bella andtake care of James _and_ the wolves."

"Thank fuck!" Emmett cheered, obviously eager to have Rosalie back. I agreed that having Jasper and Rosalie with us would improve things greatly, but that would also mean...

"Yes, Edward." Carlisle answered my unspoken thoughts, no doubt seeing the realization of what that meant written all over my face. "Alice too."

I felt Bella tense beside me and I shot Carlisle an incredulous look. He wanted to bring a newborn vampire into to the same fucking house as a human?

"You've got to be fucking kidding? Right?"

-oxo-

**a/n Nope! Not kidding, lol. Yes folks, Alice will be back next chapter and I really can't wait. I love Alice! *squeals* **

**Please review and tell me your thoughts. Who are you looking forward to seeing again most? Alice, Jasper or Rose? **

**Rec's**

I stumbled across this story the other day, it's so good and deserves a lot more reviews than it currently has. Go read and leave **middlewife** some love.

**http:/www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/s/6769963/5/Through_a_glass_darkly**

AH/AU. Bella Swan thought being invisible would protect her from the eyes of the world. Instead, it made her an enticing target for a sadistic predator. Can Officer Edward Cullen and his partner protect Bella from her unknown and persistent assailant?

If you fancy reading a bit of Vampward, try **Bleed into Each Other** by **Twilight'sPuppetMaster** :-

**http:/www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/s/6767704/1/**

How can you hide in plain sight with no scent, no heart beat, no fingerprints, yet you are human and your heart beats? Why are the Cullens wary of Bella and who is she exactly? Only time will tell. AH/AU E/B. canon couples. Lemons to follow so M rated


	16. My Best Friend is a Vampire

**a/n Thanks as always to my prereader extraordinare, GemmaH, for all her help with this story and continued support. If you're not already reading her stories, then go do so after this, they're fab. Thanks as always to my beta tigerlilylace. Hugs and kisses to those who are reading and especially to those who leave a review. I love reading them. I try and reply to all of them, but I can't if you have PM's disabled.**

**Disclaimer: SM owns everything Twilight. **

**So, Alice is back *squeals*, let's see how that goes...**

**My Best Friend is A Vampire**

_Previously..._

_I felt Bella tense beside me and I shot Carlisle an incredulous look. He wanted to bring a newborn vampire into to the same fucking house as a human?_

"_You've got to be fucking kidding? Right?"_

**BPOV**

_Holy shit! Alice._

I was going to see my best friend again. My best friend who was now a blood drinking, thirsty and possibly out of control, vampire. I didn't know whether to a happy dance or beg Edward to get me the fuck away from here. I sat, glued to the sofa, unable to move as I watched Edward's incredulous expression morph rapidly into one of anger.

"What the fuck, Carlisle!"

"Look, Edw-" Carlisle began, trying his best to calm him down, but Edward refused to let him interrupt.

"No, you fucking look! Alice has just woken up, she's going to be thirsty and out of control"

"Edward!" Carlisle shouted, causing everyone in the room to jump slightly. I half hid behind Edward's shoulder, I found angry Carlisle more than a little unnerving.

"Just listen to me for once, while I try to explain." he said, thankfully in a softer voice this time.

"Go on." Edward replied, still sounding irate, but at least willing to listen.

"According to Jasper, Alice is _different_ to other newborns." He paused, looking sternly at Edward who scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"Of course she is."

"Apparently, her _talent_ allows her to see the devastation that would be caused, if she were to feed on humans, and this is enough to quell her bloodlust."

"Talent?" I asked, finally finding my voice. "What do you mean, talent?"

Three sets of eyes were suddenly all looking at me, as if they'd just remembered I was still in the room. Carlisle and Edward exchanged a look, which I didn't understand but would definitely be asking Edward about later. I waited patiently for one of them to answer me, and eventually Edward sighed and took my hand.

"Certain vampires develop special abilities, or talents, when they are changed. Jasper believes that Alice has the ability to see into the future."

_No fucking way!_

Typical Alice. Trust her to have an ability and a fucking awesome one at that.

"Do any of you have abilities?" I asked, really only wondering if Edward had one.

Carlisle opened his mouth to speak, but Edward cut him off.

"Jasper can affect people emotions, as well as being able to sense them."

"Oh." That was all I could come up with. I mean it was OK as special abilities go, but It was nowhere near as cool as Alice's, I thought smugly. I was still smiling about it, when a thought suddenly occurred to me.

"Can't Jasper use his powers to calm Alice down? So she won't, you know,...want to attack me."

"No, Bella," Carlisle answered this time. "It's more difficult for him to effect the emotions of newborns because they are so much stronger in the first twelve months." He looked over at Edward and chuckled slightly. "He can certainly feel them though."

"This is all besides the point." Edward snapped. "It's just too dangerous to have her anywhere near you, Bella. Whether she's _different_ or not."

"But Edw-" Carlisle tried again.

"No buts, Carlisle. I won't allow Bella to be put in any more danger. I don't want Alice anywhere near her"

Carlisle opened his mouth to protest, but was interrupted by a familiar feminine voice.

"Well, _Edward_, that's just too bad."

All eyes shot towards the door as a grinning Alice suddenly appeared, flanked closely by Jasper and a beautiful blonde, I assumed to be Rosalie. I breathed in sharply as I saw my best friend for the first time in three days, but it might as well have been three years. She looked different; not drastically, I mean she still looked like Alice. Just not my Alice. Her features were sharper, more defined and she was so pale and ethereal looking. She'd always been attractive, but now she was simply stunning. I couldn't help the pang of jealously I felt as I realized how well she now fitted in with the rest of the Cullens. It was replaced by guilt almost immediately; she hadn't asked for this, it had been thrust upon her when she'd been brutally attacked by fucking wolves.

"As I was tying to tell you," Carlisle sighed, "I've already called them."

The room fell silent, and it took me a couple of seconds to realize they were now all looking at me, expectantly, as if I was supposed to be saying something important right about now. Unfortunately, I appeared to be out of the loop, because I had no idea what that might be.

"Bella?" Alice almost whispered. Her voice sounded a little unsteady, not in keeping with the strong confident figure I was looking at. I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing would come out. This was Alice, she'd been my best friend for the past six years and we usually shared everything, yet at this moment I couldn't think of anything appropriate to say. She took a tentative step towards me and all hell broke loose.

Before I could even blink, Edward had jumped up from his seat beside me, and taken what could only be described as a fighting stance in front of me. A vicious snarl left his curled lips as he stared at Alice and I jumped reflexively, his reaction startling me.

Alice growled in response and my mouth dropped open in shock at the sound. If I'd harbored any doubts about ever being frightened of Alice, they had all just been blown away, because at this precise moment she was very fucking scary! Jasper stepped protectively in front of her and it was two against one as Edward continued to glare at the two of them, not backing down one inch.

"Edward, Jasper? Calm down, both of you, this is getting us nowhere." Carlisle's soothing tone did nothing to break the tension in the room.

I looked between the three of them, my heart pounding as I waited, with everyone else in the room to see what would happen next.

"Oh, for God's sake boys!" Rosalie's no nonsense tone cut through the silence. She pushed past Jasper and Alice to stand between the two men. "Edward, I think you should listen to what both Jasper and Alice have to say before you get your panties all in a twist." she added, smirking.

I watched in fascination, as Edward's eyes flickered between, Rosalie and Jasper. I could see how reluctant he was to drop his guard, but he obviously trusted Rosalie, because when she nodded at him and gave him a slight smile, he eventually relaxed his stance and came back to sit by my side. As soon as he sat down, his arm was wrapped tightly around my waist.

"Fine." Edward spat out. "But she stays over there, _behind_ Jasper."

Alice took a small step backward and Jasper remained in position, effectively blocking her from me.

"Look Edward, I know you just want to protect Bella," Jasper said, all traces of his previous anger gone. "But, Alice won't harm her. I promise you. I would never bring he here if I thought otherwise. You know that."

"How can you be so sure?" Edward asked, his whole body still tense.

"When we took Alice hunting, we crossed paths with two hunters."

"Jasper!" Carlisle interrupted. "How could you be so careless?"

"Way to go, bro!" Emmett laughed, earning himself a glare from Jasper.

"I know we should have checked more thoroughly, but that's not the point I was trying to make. She noticed their scent straight away and wanted them, but when I explained that they were humans, she had a vision or something and her bloodlust evaporated."

"Well, that certainly is interesting. I've never heard of a newborn behaving this way before." Carlisle said, sitting back with a thoughtful expression on his face. I could tell he wanted to know all about Alice's visions and how she could supposedly resist human blood, whereas I just wanted to make sure she didn't want to drink _my_ blood.

"What sort of vision did she have?" he asked.

"Well-" Before Jasper could answer he was rudely interrupted with a loud huff from behind him.

"You know, I am standing right here!" Alice snapped, tapping her foot with her small hands resting on her hips. "If you want to know something concerning me, then ask _me_." Jasper turned to look at her with a sheepish expression on his face. She raised her eyebrow at him and then over at Carlisle, obviously waiting for something.

"Sorry, Alice." They both said together.

I couldn't help the laugh that erupted out of me at the way she had just handled them. That was the Alice I knew and loved.

"Oh God, Alice! I've missed you so fucking much!"

I went to stand and go over to her, but I was roughly held in place by Edward's arm.

"No, Bella." he said, his eyes full of worry still. "Just keep your distance for now, please."

"Ok." I must admit, in my excitement at realizing that _my_ Alice was still in there, I'd momentarily forgotten that Alice now had superhuman strength, could snap me like a twig and drank blood. I guessed staying out of arms each wasn't such a bad idea after all.

"I've missed you too, Bella." Alice said softly, from behind Jasper. She smiled tentatively, and I smiled hugely at her in return. I had really, really missed her and I wanted nothing more than to drag her up to Edward's bedroom so we could talk in private. Didn't look like that would be possible any time soon though. I sighed in frustration and felt Edward's fingers rub soothing circles on my hip.

"Holy Fuck!"

Jacob and Seth had followed Esme back into the living room and were staring open mouthed at Alice.

"I thought Paul had killed you!" Seth said, unable to tear his eyes from her. "Fuck! That means one of you bit her . What about the treaty?" Seth had a panicked look on his face and started to pace a little until Jake clapped a big meaty hand on his shoulder.

"Really Seth?" Jacob asked, with an exasperated look on his face. "I think the fact that fucking Paul almost mauled her to death kind of makes the treaty a moot point. Don't you think?"

"Oh, yeah. Sorry."

"What the fuck are you two doing here, anyway?" Rosalie hissed from where she now sat on Emmett's lap. She shifted position and turned to address Carlisle. "Since when did we get pets?"

Carlisle sighed and began to fill them in on everything that had happened in the last couple of days. Rosalie listened to the retelling of my run-ins with the wolves, an amused expression on her face the whole time, but when he mentioned James her expression turned cold. When I looked at Alice, her hands covered her mouth as she gasped in shock at my near death experiences.

"Oh my God, Bella! I leave you for a few days and look what happens!" Her hands were back on her hips again, but this time her ire was directed at me. "I mean, what the fuck were you thinking, running off to La Push on your own?" I glanced over at Edward and had to restrain myself from rolling my eyes at the smug look on his face. I could almost hear him saying, _I told you so_.

"Don't start Alice. I've had enough chastising from Edward."

She narrowed her eyes at me, looking far more menacing than she used to. I shrank back in my seat, thankful that Edward had such a firm grip on me.

"You should listen to him, Bella. You need to be more careful, especially with other vampires around and smelling like you do."

"What do you mean, 'smelling like I do'?" I asked her. What was it with everyone telling me I smelled? I heard Edward groan quietly and drop his head.

"You smell so good, Bella," Alice replied, taking a deep breath and making a humming sound. "It's a good job you're my best friend or I might just want to eat you." She added, winking at me.

Edward's head shot up and both Jacob and Seth took a small step forward. I found it all strangely funny, and giggled, before I could stop myself.

"You think that shit's funny?" Edward asked, looking at me incredulously. "The fact that you're in a house full of vampires, one of them being a blood thirsty newborn, and you smell so appetizing to them. That's something to laugh about?"

"Well no," I replied sheepishly, not finding it quite so funny anymore. "But I'm safe with you, right? Because you don't dink human blood?"

"Yes, of course your safe with us. But Alice..." His voice trailed off as he looked back over to Alice , who rolled her eyes at him.

"For fuck's sake, Edward. Just read my mind, you can see that I'm not going to hurt her, in fact-" she stopped mid sentence and muttered a quiet 'oh,' as she realized, judging by the look on Edward's face, that she'd said something she shouldn't.

I sat, staring at Edward as I struggled to process this newest piece of information.

_He could read minds._

I shuddered involuntarily as I recalled all the inappropriate thoughts that I'd had about Edward. I could feel the blush spreading upwards from my chest at the mortification of it all. Shit! Could he read it now? I looked at him accusingly, but before I could speak, people began to leave the living room faster than rats leaving a sinking ship. Seth and Jacob disappeared outside to have a look around the forest. Rosalie and Emmett went off to um.._hunt, _Jasper took Alice up to his room and Carlisle headed for his study, with Esme in tow. Leaving just me and Edward. Alone.

"You can read minds?"

"Yes. But not yours."

"Yeah, right!" I scoffed. Like I was going to believe that. I would have absolutely no idea if he was telling the truth or not because he could simply lie.

"Please believe me Bella. I would never lie to you." he said, seeming so sincere. The fact that he just answered my thoughts did him no favors what so ever though. I stared into his beautiful eyes, trying to decipher if he was telling the truth or not. He looked so honest, and I wanted to believe him, but I just couldn't be sure. He'd had the opportunity to tell me about his _ability _earlier, when I'd asked him and Carlisle who out of the Cullens had one. He'd mentioned Jasper's, but not his own. I wanted to know why.

"Why did you tell me earlier, that Jasper could affect emotions, but neglected to say that you could read minds?" I asked.

"Because I knew you'd get upset. I wanted to tell you Bella, but the time just never seemed right." His eyes were pleading with me to understand, and I did, sort of. I understood why he'd found it hard to tell me, but I was still unconvinced that he could read every mind but mine. I needed proof.

"Can you prove it to me, somehow?"

"Prove what, exactly?" he asked in return. I raised an eyebrow at him, because this was really not the time to act dumb.

"That you can't read my mind, of course."

"Well... how about you think of something that I couldn't possibly know, but if I saw it in your mind, I couldn't help but have a reaction to." he replied. I must be either really tired or really stupid, because I wasn't at all sure what he'd just said.

"Huh?" was my intelligent response. He sighed, and began to explain in terms simple that people like me could understand.

"Either think of something that will make me angry, laugh out loud or make me upset. Anything that will cause a strong reaction that I wont be able to hide."

"Oh, I see."

One particular memory floated to the surface and I closed my eyes, concentrating on that singular image. Edward, naked in the shower, as he pinned me roughly against the wall. My body reacted accordingly, I felt my chest flush, my heartbeat quicken and my panties becoming more than a little wet.

"Um...Bella?" Edward's soft voice snapped me out of my daydream. I opened my eyes to see him staring at me, his own eyes dark with desire. " I..um...I don't need to read your mind to tell what you were thinking just then." He shifted uncomfortably and my eyes were drawn to the prominent bulge in his trousers. "Your body says it all for you. Try something a little..um.. less arousing."

"Oh." I blushed even more, and wracked my brains for something _less arousing_, but that would cause a strong reaction in him. A sly smile crept over my face as I thought of the perfect scenario to get a marked response from Edward. If he could truly read my thoughts, then this would definitely prove it. I concentrated for all I was worth on the image, waiting for his reaction.

"Are you thinking about something?" he asked.

"Mmhmm." I replied, still smiling. "Can you see what it is?" I watched his face for any sign, but there was nothing. His expression didn't change once.

"No. I get nothing from you. At all."

"Ok, I believe you." I leaned over towards him and gave him a kiss, to show him that I meant it.

"What? Just like that, you believe me?" He narrowed his eyes at me, suspicion clouding his features.

"Yes, just like that." I replied, grinning.

"That must have been some thought." he said, moving closer to me and slipping his arm around my waist. I nodded, but said nothing further. "Tell me what it was."

"Nope. No way." There was absolutely no way I was sharing that with him. Especially not with Jacob in the vicinity.

"Tell me." he growled this time, his fingers splaying out and pressing into my side, tickling me.

"Noooo!" I squealed, trying to wriggle out of his grip, but obviously getting nowhere. He mercilessly tickled my sides until I had tears streaming down my cheeks from laughing so much.

"Stop!...stop!" I begged, between breathes.

"I will if you tell me." his fingers showed no signs of letting up and if he didn't stop soon I was in danger of wetting myself.

"Ok, ok, I'll tell you...just stop, please."

Finally, he stopped and I sucked in a huge breath, wiping the tears away with the back of my hand.

"That was so unfair." I said, straightening up my clothes. He just shrugged as if to say, 'I know, and I don't care'. He raised his eyebrow at me, clearly waiting for my explanation. Well, he asked for it.

"If you must know. I was thinking about when Jacob burst through the door to save me from Sam. He had to phase and didn't have chance to remove his clothes." I watched Edward closely as realization dawned on him. "When he phased back to human form, he was...um...naked and I couldn't take my eyes of his er...big hands." I know it was verging on cruel but I couldn't resist teasing him a little. I laughed out loud at the expression on his face, my eyes tearing up again.

I continued to giggle, my laughter only fading when I realized that he still hadn't said anything.

"Edward?"

Nothing.

His expression was pained, and I immediately felt bad for making fun of him.

"I'm sorry." I said, not exactly sure which bit of my story had upset him, but sorry all the same.

"Bella..." he breathed, running his hands through his already messy hair. " I was so worried about you, when you went missing. Do you have any idea how much I wished it was me rushing in to save you and not him? To think of him naked, there, with you..." his voice trails of and he drops his head into his hands.

I realized how badly my little joke had backfired. I'd thought it would be funny to tease him a little, but I never thought that I might actually upset him. I reached out and slipped my fingers through his, squeezing gently and encouraging him to look up at me. He lifted his head and pulled my hand between both of his.

"I'm truly sorry, Edward. I never meant to hurt you. I was just teasing." I gave him a tentative smile, hoping he could see how sorry I was.

"Don't, Bella. I came so close to losing you. I don't want to be reminded of what happened that day, or what you saw. Please."

"Ok." I said, stroking his cheek with my free hand. "But on the plus side, at least I believe you now, that you can't read my mind." I batted my eyelashes, in what I hoped was a seductive manner.

He pulled me to him, so I was sitting sideways in his lap. With his hands now gently cupping my face, he looked into my eyes and took a deep breath, before letting it out slowly.

"I love you, Bella." My breath hitched, my eyes now the size of saucers. "If anything or anyone took you away from me, I don't think I could survive without you."

Before I had the chance to reply, his mouth was on mine. His kiss soft and slow, but with a hint of desperation, showing me that he'd meant every word.

He broke the kiss and moved back a little to look at me. I opened my mouth to speak, but he quickly covered it with his hand.

"Don't say anything, please. Vampire emotions are so much stronger than human ones, we fall in love fast. I don't expect you to feel the same." I started to protest, so he smiled and added "yet". I smiled back and buried my face into his shoulder, content to just be in his arms, knowing that he loved me.

My blissful five minutes were interrupted by high pitched squealing from upstairs. I laughed, knowing full well who that scream belonged to.

_Alice._

I should have remembered that she and Jasper would have been able to hear every word of our conversation. Carlisle and Esme either didn't care or were pretending to give us privacy.

I looked up at Edward as we heard a loud bang from upstairs, followed by raised voices.

"Let me go, Jasper!"

"No. You need to leave them alone for a bit."

"He just told her he loved her! I need to go talk to her!"

"Alice!"

There was another loud bang, followed by Jasper's strained voice.

"Ow, Alice!, that hurt!"

I heard her tinkling laughter float down the stairs and then she appeared at the living room door, a huge smile lighting up her face. Jasper arrived a few seconds later, scowling and rubbing his jaw. I felt Edward shake beneath me as he chuckled at the pair of them. It was obvious she'd hit him, but she was so small in comparison to Jasper that the idea was really fucking funny.

She started to walk towards me and Edward suddenly tensed all over, his grip on me tightening.

"Alice!" he growled.

She stopped, the happy smile she'd had moments before disappearing abruptly.

"Please, Edward." she said, her small hands clasped in front of her. "She's my best friend, I just want to talk to her. I would never, ever hurt her."

I held my breathe, praying that he would let her near me. I desperately wanted to share this with her.

I felt him move ever so slightly as he nodded his head, indicating she could come closer. I watched as Alice slowly moved to the other end of the sofa that we were currently sat on. She wisely chose to keep some distance between us, while Edward shifted me slightly to his other side.

I decided that I would have to make the first move, if things were ever going to get back to normal. Ever so slowly, I reached my hand out toward her.

"Bella." Edward whispered his caution against my ear.

"Ssh. Its ok, I trust her." I said, ignoring his grumbling.

I bit my lip as I waited nervously for Alice to make her move. After a few tense moments, she raised her hand and reached out to mine, wrapping her cool fingers gently and carefully around mine. As I held her hand, I was overcome with emotion and I couldn't help the tears that spilled over and down my cheeks.

"I thought you were dead." I sniffled. "Oh God, Al, for two whole days I thought you were dead."

She gently squeezed my fingers, the only comfort she could offer me at the moment.

"If I could cry Bella, I would totally be sobbing right now!"

I hated the distance between us, but there was no way that Edward would relinquish his hold on me. I took a chance and tugged on Alice's hand, hoping she would get the hint. Her eyes shot to mine and I smiled in encouragement. Keeping a wary eye on Edward, she shifted closer to me, until we were within hugging distance.

"Edward? I'm going to reach over and hug Alice now, OK?"

To my utter amazement, he whispered 'OK' , and loosened his grip on me. Not caring that this could be the stupidest thing I 'd ever done, I reached out and pulled Alice into my arms. It was a little awkward, because I was still sat on Edward's lap, but we managed. I sighed, all the shit of the past few days forgotten as I reconnected with my best friend.

I pulled back after a few seconds, not wanting to push my luck, and wiped my eyes.

"We have so much to talk about, I don't know where to even start!" I said excitedly. I couldn't wait to tell Alice everything and I was sure she had some pretty wild stuff to tell me, but I really wanted to do it alone, not in front of Edward and Jasper. I was about to suggest they could maybe leave us for a bit, when Alice became very still and had an odd look on her face.

"Alice?"

She stayed still as a statue for what seemed like forever, before snapping out of it and frantically calling for Jasper. He was by her side in an instant.

"What was it? What did you see?"

She opened her eyes and I flinched at the look of terror there.

"The Volturi...they're coming..."

-oxo-

**a/n** ***hides* you knew they would be on their merry way once Alice woke up though, it was only a matter of time. Let me know your thought, theories. **

**If you want to know how Alice's transformation and subsequent run in with the hunters went, I wrote an A/J outtake. Let's just say Alice and Jasper become better aquanited.**

**http:/www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/s/6552379/2/Dark_Wolves_and_Vampire_Delights_Outtakes**

**I have also written an ExB o/s for the Fandoms4tsunami compilation called "Who to Trust". Lots of fabulous authors are contributing to this. If you want to donate to this very worthy cause, details can be found here:**

**http:/fandomfightstsunami(dot)blogspot(dot)com/**


	17. Game On

**a/n Thanks as always to my prereader extraordinare, GemmaH, for all her help with this chapter and for supplying the title. If you're not already reading her stories, then go do so after this, they're fab. Thanks as always to my beta tigerlilylace. Hugs and kisses to those who are reading and especially to those who leave a review. I love reading them. I try and reply to all of them, but I can't if you have PM's disabled.**

**Disclaimer: SM owns everything Twilight related.**

**So, let's see what excitement Alice has caused with her latest vision...**

**Game On**

**EPOV**

"_Alice?"_

_She stayed still as a statue for what seemed like forever, before snapping out of it and frantically calling for Jasper. He was by her side in an instant._

"_What was it? What did you see?"_

_She opened her eyes and I flinched at the look of terror there. _

"_The Volturi...they're coming..."_

"Fuck!" I hissed, unconsciously pulling Bella tightly against me. The fucking Volturi! As if things weren't bad enough with the wolves and James on our backs, we now had to find a way to keep the Volturi from finding out about Bella. _Fuck. _

My mind raced as I thought through different scenarios in my head. Maybe we could just hide Bella upstairs.

"Like that would work!" Alice scoffed from the seat beside me.

"What?" I snapped, my eyes locking with hers.

"You can't just lock her away upstairs. They'd smell her as soon as they got through the door and they would kill her."

"How did you..." my voice trailed off as I read her mind. I was used to being in other people's heads, not having them in mine, but Alice's thoughts showed exactly what I'd been picturing, followed by the Volturi discovering Bella. I blocked the rest of her vision, not wanting to see the outcome.

"When you made the decision to hide Bella, I had a vision of the outcome." Alice explained patiently to me, like she was talking to a child. I caught Jasper smirking behind her so I flipped him off.

"Nice," he mouthed at me, still smirking.

"That's fascinating," Carlisle said, as he and Esme entered the room. "We heard Alice's declaration and thought you'd want everyone together to decide how to handle this. I've already called Rosalie and Emmett, they're on their way."

He walked over to the other sofa and sat down. Esme right beside him, looking more than a little concerned. The Volturi made everyone nervous.

"Tell me, Alice," Carlisle continued. "Do your visions change depending on the decisions people make?"

"Yes. When a person changes their mind, the outcome of my vision can change too," Alice answered, causing Carlisle to grin widely. They made plans to discuss this further at a later date.

We waited for Rosalie and Emmett to arrive and then listened to all the information that Alice could tell us from her vision. From what she had seen, it seemed the Volturi were preparing a relatively small guard to come and check up on our latest newborn. Apparently the Cullen coven didn't warrant more than four of the guard as we weren't considered a threat. For once our peaceful, animal drinking reputation was working in our favor.

"Who's Aro?" Alice asked, as she pictured him in her head.

Carlisle knew Aro better than any of us since he'd spent time with the Volturi during his early years. As far as I knew they'd parted on amicable terms. Alice listened intently when he began to speak, as did the rest of us, eager to hear what he had to say.

"Aro is the leader of the Volturi; he rules along with Marcus and Caius. He is very old and powerful. With a touch of his hand he is able to read every thought your mind has ever had. I spent several years with them, and although I found their company pleasant enough, I couldn't condone their method of feeding. The Volturi feed from humans," he paused as both Alice and Bella made a face, wrinkling their noses in disgust. Despite Alice now being a vampire, they were still very much alike.

"I'm afraid there are very few vampires who share our beliefs," he finished.

"Well," Alice said, hesitating as she ordered her thoughts. "Aro has a few _issues_ to deal with in Volterra, before he will let Felix leave."

She didn't need to expand further; my family and I all knew what_ issues_ Aro would need Felix for. I didn't want to explain it to Bella and thankfully she didn't ask.

"The Guard are planning to leave in three days. They should be here within five," Alice stated and the room was momentarily quiet as we all thought about what this meant. Five days was longer than I'd been expecting, but it still wasn't long for us to prepare.

According to Alice_, _the Guard would consist of Jane, Demetri, Felix, and Heidi. Considering who could have been sent, we were relatively lucky. Demetri was a tracker; there was no hiding from him, but since we didn't plan on running, his talent was irrelevant. Felix was a huge wall of muscle and was usually the one who 'disposed' of those vampires who had the misfortune to get on Aro's bad side and Heidi was Demetri's sometime companion who was just along for the ride. Jane, however, was extremely dangerous. She had the ability to incapacitate by inflicting excruciating pain. Although we would have to be very careful around Jane, I was beyond relieved that they had decided not to send a mind reader. If Bella remained undiscovered, then there should be no reason for Jane to use her 'talent' on any of us.

"We need to hide Bella somewhere other than here, and soon. Her scent is all over the house, it needs to be long gone before the Volturi arrive." Carlisle spoke again, and I nodded to show my agreement. I wanted her far away from here when they arrived.

"I could go back to my house," Bella offered. She'd been so quiet since Alice's revelation, I was slightly startled when she spoke. "I mean, it should be clean and everything now, right?"

"I would think so, but we can go check," I replied. "I think that's a great suggestion," I said smiling at her. "It's far enough so that Bella won't be detected, but close enough to here in case I need to come back for anything."

"Edward," Carlisle said while carefully blocking his thoughts. "You can't stay with Bella. You need to be here with us when the Guard arrive. They will be expecting to see all of us, and we'll need to know exactly what they're thinking, if we want to get out if this in one piece."

"Well I'm not fucking leaving her there on her own! What about James?"

"I wasn't suggesting-" Carlisle tried to placate me, but was interrupted by Rosalie.

"What about the _dogs_?" she asked, looking slightly more interested with the prospect of getting rid of the wolves. "They need to be out of sight too, so why can't they watch _Bella_."

There was a slight edge to her voice, and she had no problem telling me, with her thoughts, how pissed off she was at having to face the Volturi because Jasper and I '_couldn't keep it in our pants_'. I wanted to tell her it was all Jasper's fault for biting Alice, but I wisely decided just to keep quiet instead. There was never any point arguing with Rosalie.

"Yes, that's a good point, Rose," Carlisle agreed. "We can ask Jake and Seth when they return, but I don't foresee them having a problem with this plan."

Alice's eyes glazed over slightly before she shook her head, as if to clear it, and smiled widely.

"That will work perfectly. I see the Volturi visit going smoothly with Bella safely out of the house."

I felt Bella breathe a big sigh of relief and I leaned down to gently kiss her forehead. After the initial panic I felt like we would get through the Volturi visit with little or no problem, thanks to Alice's visions.

-oxo-

As soon as the door to my bedroom closed, I spun Bella round and pushed her up against it, burying my nose in her hair.

"I've been wanting to get you alone ever since you came downstairs this morning," I mumbled against the side of her neck, my cool breath causing her to shiver ever so slightly.

As soon as the decision had been taken to hide Bella back at her house, I had whisked her away and up to my room. There was nothing left for us to discuss until Jacob and Seth returned. We needed them to agree to our proposed plan; not that I thought for one minute they would refuse, but we still needed them present to finalize everything.

My hands roamed over her body, settling on her hips as I ground myself against her. She gripped my shoulders tightly and whimpered at the feeling of my hardness.

"Edward," she whispered. "Everyone will hear us."

"I don't care," I breathed, nuzzling her soft skin. It's not like I hadn't had to endure years of Emmett and Rosalie fucking like animals. As if on cue, Emmett's lewd thoughts filtered into my brain. He'd heard us of course and was throwing insults my way already.

_Oh Eddie, I don't think you need to worry about the noise. It's not like you're gonna make her scream or anything, is it?_

I growled as I heard his laughter from downstairs. I would fucking show him. I'd had enough of his constant teasing about my ability to please Bella. I was gonna make her scream my name 'til she was hoarse. Of course Alice knew the minute I'd decided this.

_Ooh good, she could do with relieving some of that tension._

Doing my best to block out _all _of my family's thoughts, I picked Bella up, wrapped her legs around my waist and carried her over to the bed. She squealed as I deposited her none too gently into the middle of it and slowly crawled up after her. I stopped when my hands drew level with her hips.

"Edward?" she asked, her eyebrow raised in question.

"Bella," I replied, smirking.

"What are you doing?"

"This."

I reached out and ripped her pants straight down the middle causing her breathing to hitch. I kept my eyes trained on hers as I hooked my fingers under her panties at either side, and pulled sharply. The material came away in my hands and I threw both offending articles of clothing onto the floor.

"There, that's better," I hummed as I skimmed my lips across the smooth skin of her stomach, my tongue flicking out to taste her.

"Ahh..." she cried softly, her mouth falling open as my kisses trailed down towards her center.

"Come on, Bella," I urged. "You can do better than that." I slid my hands to the tops of her thighs, rubbing my thumbs over the sensitive skin there. "Let me hear you, baby."

As I ran my tongue slowly along her wetness, I was rewarded with a breathy moan. I smiled against her, reveling in the fact that she was making those noises for me. It wasn't nearly enough though, I wanted to hear her scream.

Without losing contact with her skin, I licked my way up to her clit and sucked on it greedily. I loved the way she tasted and how fucking warm she was. At the same time I gently slid two fingers inside her and began to move them in and out, making sure to keep my gaze fixed on hers the whole time. Her eyes were dark with desire, her tongue darting out to wet her lips before she drew the bottom one in between her teeth. Her heart was racing as she watched me intently, her breathing picking up as I increased my pace. I felt her start to tighten around my fingers and when I used the slightest pressure of my teeth on her, she threw her head back and screamed my name, loud and clear.

"Edwaaaard..."

Without waiting for her to come down from her orgasm, I quickly withdrew my fingers, pulled off my jeans and boxers and was inside her before she'd fully gotten her breath back.

"Oh God!..." she cried, wrapping her legs around me once more.

I held her firmly in place, one hand under her good shoulder and the other gripping her hip, and thrust into her, rolling my hips each time I filled her. The feel of her, all hot and wet and wrapped around me was exquisite. I wanted to make it last, but I could already feel the tightening in my stomach; I wouldn't be able to hold it off much longer. I captured her lips with mine and kissed her, long and hard. She was mine and I wanted to make sure she knew it. If I had to be separated from her soon, I wanted there to be no doubt in her mind exactly how I felt about her.

I trailed kisses over her jaw and down her neck, allowing her to catch a much needed breath. I was almost there, and without slowing my rhythm and leaned down to whisper in her ear,

"I love you so fucking much Bella. You're all mine now."

She must have liked what I said because as soon as the words left my cool lips, she grabbed hold of my shoulders, clamping herself to me and came again, taking me with her this time.

I held her in my arms, careful to keep my weight off her, but reluctant to let her go. We stayed there, neither of us speaking; just the noise of Bella's labored breaths breaking the silence. I rested my forehead tenderly against hers before planting a kiss on her nose.

"Do you think they heard us?" Bella whispered, her lips twitching as she tried not to smile. I couldn't help but laugh out loud because even if she hadn't screamed like a banshee, they would have heard her. But the fact that she'd been so very loud, fuck, I bet even Seth and Jacob heard her. That thought made me grin like an idiot and I really fucking hoped they had.

"Yes, Bella," I replied, still smiling at her. "I think it's safe to say that anyone within a five mile radius would have heard us." She giggled and smacked me on the shoulder, wincing slightly as her hand met my solid body. With a sigh, I pulled out of her and rolled to my side, keeping my arm draped across her stomach as I stroked my thumb up and down her back.

"We'd better get cleaned up and head back downstairs," I said, getting up and pulling her with me. "I'm sure Seth and Jacob will be back soon and we need to make the final arrangements for when the Volturi arrive."

The mood in the room changed immediately as we both thought about our impending separation. I led her towards the bathroom, stopping as we reached the door. Tilting her chin up so I could see her face, I placed a chaste kiss on her lips. She looked so sad; I hated that she had to leave my side, but it was the only way to keep her safe.

"It won't be for long, I promise," I said, pulling her into my arms.

"I know," she mumbled softly into my chest. I held her for a little while longer before reaching to turn on the shower and stepping in, tugging her behind me.

-oxo-

We showered quickly this time, reverently washing each other's bodies, but not taking it further. We dressed quickly after I'd found Bella some new pants to wear. I was just doing up my jeans when I heard Jacob's thoughts screaming at me as they neared the house.

_Edward! The Wolf Pack; they're fucking coming now! Paul and Quil must have healed much quicker than we anticipated. Get everyone ready._

"Shit!" I shouted, running my hands through my hair. "Fuck!"

"What is it? What's wrong?" Bella's panicked voiced snapped me back into focus.

"The wolf pack are coming now.," I answered Bella, but knew that my family would hear me as well. "I need to go." I slipped on my shoes and socks and headed for the door.

"You need to stay right the fuck here, Bella," I said, pausing to look at her as I reached for the door handle.

"But Ed-"

I cut her off before she could argue.

"I mean it. I won't be able to concentrate if you are anywhere near those fucking wolves." Just the mere thought of it made me anxious. "I'm going to lock the door when I leave. Promise me that you'll stay here. Please, Bella?"

She nodded quickly, running up to me and jumping into my arms. I caught her with my free hand, kissing her one last time before gently setting her down. She looked up at me, her eyes brimming with tears.

"Be safe, Edward," she whispered as her tears spilled over and ran silently down her cheeks. "I can't lose you. I...I love you."

If my heart hadn't stopped beating decades ago, it would surely have stopped at that moment. I grabbed her and kissed her forcefully.

"I love you, too," I replied, grinning broadly now and wiping away her tears with my thumb. "I have to go."

She managed a small smile for me and then I was out the door, locking it behind me and racing down the stairs to join my family.

"Glad you could make it, lover boy," Emmett sniggered as I entered the room. Even the prospect of a fight, with God knows how many wolves, couldn't dampen his spirits. I glared at him, but didn't really pull it off as I was still grinning from hearing Bella's declaration.

I looked over at the rest of my family. Alice and Esme winked, Jasper smirked and Rosalie looked indifferent as usual. Before I had chance to say anything, Carlisle rushed in with Jacob and Seth close on his heels breathing heavily.

"How long before they get here?" I asked, getting straight to the point.

"Fifteen minutes, twenty tops," Jacob replied.

"Fuck," Carlisle hissed and we all looked at him a little shocked. He never cursed. Ever.

"Which direction will they be coming from?" Carlisle asked, looking out into the dark. It didn't matter to us or the wolves, we both had perfect night vision.

"They were heading towards the front of the house, but they could circle round." Seth answered this time.

"We'll meet them at the front of the house as far away as possible without going into the trees," Carlisle stated before turning to face me. "Where's Bella?"

"Locked in my room."

"I bet she just loved that!" Alice snorted.

"Yeah not so much." I smiled ruefully. "She took a little persuading."

"I can imagine. Well I'm sure she's decided to stay put for once so you can relax for a minute." Alice added, patting my arm reassuringly. Thank God, because I really couldn't deal with any more stress.

"What about James and Laurent? If we're occupied out the front, who'll watch the back of the house?" I asked. We had no idea what his plans were, because according to Alice he hadn't decided on anything yet, so she couldn't see what he was going to do. Now Jacob and Seth had returned, she couldn't see anything at all; something to do with the wolves blocking her ability.

"I've already considered that," Carlisle spoke up. "If at all possible, I don't want to force Jacob and Seth to fight the other members of the wolf pack who have no choice but to follow Sam's orders. So, I was going to suggest that they watch the back of the house and keep a look out for James and Laurent and any wolves that may stray that way."

Sounded like a good plan to me. We didn't necessarily need them out front and I would feel better knowing the house was covered both front and back.

"That's fine with us," Jacob answered for the both of them.

We chatted for a few more minutes, deciding who would go after whom. Well, arguing mainly as both Alice and Jasper wanted Paul. Alice argued that since he had tried to kill her and due to the fact she had newborn strength, he should be hers. Jasper said that he had better fighting experience and he wanted to finish what he'd started at Bella's house. Carlisle told them to grow up and sort it out between them. I wanted Sam. He'd dared to kidnap my girl and threatened to use her as bait. He was fucking mine.

"They're almost here," I said quietly as their voices gradually became clearer in my head.

"Let's go," Emmett replied, for once uncharacteristically serious. He gave Rosalie a swift kiss and they both headed outside. I followed them, leaving Esme and Carlisle to have a moment of their own. I nodded to Jacob as I passed, silently thanking him for helping us. He and Seth then headed out to the back yard where I presumed they'd phase.

-oxo-

We waited. I could hear them approaching, their thoughts a jumbled mess; a mixture of fear, hatred and anticipation. Bella's face flitted in and out of their thoughts and I couldn't stop the growl from rumbling out of my chest. Carlisle cast a worried glance in my direction; I shook my head at him, telling him not to worry.

"Any minute now," I said quietly, although I was sure everyone could hear their heartbeats by now.

Although we were poised, ready for the attack that we knew was imminent, it was still a shock when the wolf pack emerged slowly from the trees. We all watched in awe as one by one, they came out of the trees and stopped in a ragged line. I counted seven in total.

"Look, there's one each," Emmett muttered, smiling and cracking his knuckles. "I thought for a minute I'd have to share!"

I would have rolled my eyes if I wasn't so focused on Sam. He was thinking about Bella, wondering where she was and looking around, searching for her.

"She's not here, you fucking piece of shit," I snapped.

"Edward!" Carlisle hissed.

I knew I'd just given away the fact that I could read their minds, but I didn't give a fuck. If I got my way, at least three of them wouldn't be leaving here alive. Jacob could deal with the rest.

Alice had been partly obscured by Jasper until now, and I smiled at Paul's reaction when she stepped out to face them. His mind screamed that this was impossible; he'd left her virtually dead. I watched as he slowly put the pieces together when Jasper reached for Alice's hand, and his lips curled back into a snarl.

"Hello boys," Alice sneered, letting go of Jasper's hand and stepping forward slightly. "As you can see, I'm no longer a defenseless human." She spread her hands wide showing off her new and improved form and took a step closer.

I glanced quickly over at Jasper, wondering if he knew what she'd got planned. The smirk he shot back told me that he did and I watched fascinated as she executed the thoughts running through her head. The wolves watched too, seemingly unable to take their eyes off Alice.

"You see, I'm now stronger, faster and just itching to try out it all out on somebody." She took one last step forward and I saw Paul tense his back legs reading to attack. "And Paul," she hissed at him. "Payback is a motherfucking bitch!" Everyone reacted at once as Alice leaped at him, meeting him mid-air and slamming him to the ground.

The rest of the pack surged into action; the collisions sounding like thunder as our powerful bodies crashed into each other. I easily shook off the small brown wolf who'd lunged at me, sending him flying into the trees. I scanned the wolves, searching for the one I wanted most.

Sam.

I spotted him over to the left, trying to get his teeth locked onto Carlisle's shoulder. I raced over, wrapped my arms around him and pulled, throwing him off and helping Carlisle to his feet. Sam skidded on his side, but jumped straight back up when he'd finished sliding. He bared his teeth and slowly stalked back over to us.

"Go help the others," I told Carlisle. "He's mine."

He did as I asked, but I didn't turn watch him go. My eyes were trained on Sam as he circled in front of me. I was vaguely aware of the thoughts around me, trying to keep an eye on my family without losing focus. They all seemed to be holding their own with no obvious problems. The younger, inexperienced wolves were really no match for us. I quickly searched for Jacob and Seth, all the while watching Sam.

Dread washed over me as Seth's frantic thoughts assaulted my brain.

_Jacob, on your left! Watch out!_

I watched in horror through Seth's thoughts as Laurent slammed into Jacob from the side and they disappeared in a tangle of limbs into the surrounding trees. If Laurent was here then so was James. Seth growled and snarled as his vision snapped over to the right. There he was, grinning as he advanced on Seth.

_How irresponsible of Edward to leave Bella guarded by _dogs_. He obviously doesn't care for her as much as I thought. Such a shame. I wanted him to feel what it's like to lose a mate, but I can still have a little fun with his human._

I willed Seth to rip his fucking throat out, but James was too quick and before Seth could react he was on him, his teeth sinking into his shoulder blade as he pulled his front leg back. There was a sickening crack and a whimper, before he tossed Seth to the side and raced into the house.

"Bella!" I shouted out in panic.

It had all happened in a matter of seconds, but it was long enough for things to go to shit. As I turned to run back inside to get Bella, I took my eyes off Sam and it was all the opening he needed. I realized my mistake fractionally too late as I felt him barrel into me, his teeth sinking into my arm. I screamed in pain as he shook his head violently and ripped it from my body.

_Motherfucking Christ!_

It hurt like a bitch! He came at me again and I managed to scramble out the way and kick him in his ribs.

"Emmett!" I shouted desperately for my brother. "James is inside the house!"

_I'm on it!_

I didn't have time to say anything else as Sam lunged at me again. I could only hope with everything that I had that Emmett would get there in time.

-oxo-

**a/n** ***ducks and runs for cover* Before you all shout at me for ruining his perfect body, remember that these vampires can be put back together; if they can find the missing piece that is. The fight is not over by any means and there will be more of that in the next chapter. So, did Emmett get there in time? Please leave a review and let me know your thoughts.**

**-oxo-**

**Recs:**

**Edward is a little different to what your used to and I know some people are very particular about the way he should look, but this story is so good. Give it a try.**

**http:/www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/s/6407322/11/If_I_Should_Die_Before_I_Wake by****cocoapurl**

**Edward Cullen is a Chicago Police Detective tracking a serial killer. Bella Swan is a baker and restaurant manager that came to Chicago to start a new chapter in her life. Their worlds will collide in a way that will alter both of them forever. **

**-oxo-**

**This story deserves far more reviews than it has. Go read and give her some love.**

**http:/www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/s/6872879/1/Mind_the_Gap ****by LuckyStar815**

**When Edward and Bella throw themselves into a long-distance relationship, they don't realize that sometimes the mileage is not the biggest obstacle in the path of love. **


	18. Find Me, Save Me

**a/n I need to thank lots of ladies this week for their help with this chapter. It refused to play ball and I want to hug and kiss Gemmah for telling me how to fix it! Without her awesomeness it would be a pile of poo!**

**Thanks to my beta tigerlilylace, especially this week, for pointing out my big fat errors. Big fat smooches to the lovely Twilight'sPuppetMaster for all her help, without her knowledge the middle of this chapter would suck. She pimps this fic tirelessly and has more stories on the go than I ever could. Go read them and leave her some love.**

**As always huge thanks to those who are reading and especially to those who leave a review. I love you all! Ffn review reply is still broken, and I lost track of who I'd replied to. Apologies if I missed you, but I loved reading them.**

**I messed with it after it was beta'd, so any mistakes are all mine.**

**Disclaimer: SM owns everything Twilight related, I just mess with her wolves.**

**Right! Where were we...**

**Find Me, Save Me**

_**Previously...**_

"_Emmett!" I shouted desperately for my brother. "James is inside the house!"_

I'm on it!

_I didn't have time to say anything else as Sam lunged at me again. I could only hope with everything that I had that Emmett would get there in time._

**BPOV**

My chest felt tight as I watched Edward close the door and head downstairs. It was too soon, I wasn't ready for them to face the wolves yet. Everything was moving far too quickly. I'd only just wrapped my head around the Volturi visit and now Sam and his gang were on the doorstep. Were they going to fight? Would anyone get hurt? Was I safe up here?

_Who knew returning to sleepy old Forks would be so dangerous! _

I paced back and forth, chewing my thumbnail as my nerves went through the roof. I didn't want to be stuck up here, not knowing what was happening out there. I couldn't bear the thought of anything happening to Edward, or Alice. I didn't want any harm to come to the rest of his family, or Jacob and Seth for that matter, but Edward and Alice were my priority. The thought of Edward being hurt made my heart clench and my blood run cold. I shook my head to clear it of those thoughts, it made me feel ill even thinking such things. As for Alice, I'd only just gotten her back. I'd been devastated when I thought I'd lost her the first time. I really couldn't go through that again.

I walked over to the window to see if I could see anything, it overlooked the back of the house and from what I could see there was nothing happening there. Movement caught my eye and I gasped slightly as I watched Jacob and Seth briefly come into view before shifting into their wolf forms. Although I'd seen Jake change before, I'd been slightly distracted at the time and I hadn't fully appreciated what a spectacular sight it was. The two huge wolves began to leisurely walk back and forth, watching the surrounding trees as they went. I guess they were the rear guard.

With a loud sigh and a last look at the pacing wolves, I shuffled back over to the bed and plopped down with my back up against the headboard. I drew my knees up to my chest, rested my head on them and waited. And waited.

I could hear muffled noises from outside and I so desperately wanted to run down the stairs and see what the were, but I'd promised Edward that I'd stay put. After all the stupid decisions I'd made already, this time I was doing as he'd asked. Even if I hated every minute of it.

Light footsteps coming up the stairs startled me out of my thoughts and I jumped off the bed, excitedly.

"Edward?" I called as the door burst open.

"I'm afraid not, sweetheart. He's a little preoccupied at the minute."

My breath caught and I stumbled backwards away from the last person I expected to see coming through my door.

_James._

"Wh...what are you doing here?" My voice faltered and my bottom lip trembled as I tried to get the words out. Edward had told me how dangerous he was and now, as I looked into his dark red eyes, I could see it for myself. His gaze roamed over me from head to toe, making my skin crawl. He licked his lips and began walking towards me as he spoke.

"I'd love to stop and chat but we're going to have company any minute."

I was about to reply, but before I had chance to I was scooped up and tossed over his shoulder as he ran towards the bedroom window. He didn't slow down as he approached the glass and I shut my eyes tightly as he leapt at it and crashed through. I gasped as I felt my arm catch on part of the broken glass as I was hauled through it and into the air.

We landed with a slight thud and then he was off like a rocket, running through the trees so fast it made me feel sick to watch. I shut my eyes again, praying that someone had heard the window breaking and was coming after us. I had a feeling that James had some very bad plans for me and I really didn't want to find out what they were.

"Bella?" My head snapped up as I heard faint shouting behind us.

Hope surged through me as I recognized Emmett's voice frantically calling my name.

"Emmett! Help m-" I began to shout at the top of my lungs, but James tightened his hold on me, almost making cry out in pain this time, as he increased his pace through the forest.

"He's not going to fucking catch us, so save your breath." he said, laughing at me as he ran.

I ignored him, continuing to shout until my throat was sore. It seemed that James had been proven correct, because despite my constant shouting, Emmett was nowhere in sight. Without any warning, he stopped suddenly, slid me off his shoulder and threw me unceremoniously onto the forest floor next to a couple of huge boulders. I landed awkwardly, wincing as my still healing hand took all my weight.

"Arghh!" I almost sobbed as pain shot up my arm. I quickly shifted onto my backside, cradling my hand in my lap.

"You fucking bastard!" I spat at him. "I hope Emmett rips you to fucking pieces."

"Shut the fuck up!" he yelled, backhanding me and send me sprawling into the dirt. My vision blurred for a second and my face throbbed painfully where his hand had landed. I vaguely registered movement in front of me, but things were still a little hazy and I couldn't quite make out what it was. It looked like James was wheeling something.

I felt myself being roughly pulled to my feet and lifted onto what I guessed to be some sort of motorbike. As my vision cleared, I could see that I was indeed now sat astride a large red motorbike. James jumped on behind me, wrapped one hand firmly around my waist so that I was sitting in front of him and wedged tightly between his hard thighs.

I briefly wondered how he was going to drive the thing one-handed and if maybe that would give Emmett time to catch up. But when I looked down, I groaned as I realized that he would have no trouble at all. I didn't know much about bikes, but I could tell that on this one, both the throttle and the brake were on the same side. _Damn_. Before I could contemplate any ideas of escaping, he had started the bike and we were on our way.

I took one last look behind me, any hope I had of being saved,fading abruptly as the heavens opened and washed away any trace of us. We flew through the forest and I shut my eyes tight, once again not wanting to see the speed we were going. Once we hit the highway, James sped up even more and I wondered if maybe I was destined to die on this fucking bike.

He was leaning forward and pushing me down so that I was forced to reach out and grab onto the handle bar near where his hands were. I did my best not to touch him, but I kept brushing up against his fingers each time he turned into a corner.

I felt his cool breath on my ear as he whispered to me.

"Desperate to touch me are you?" his tongue flicked out to taste my skin and I had to swallow back the bile that rose in my throat. "Don't worry, there'll be plenty of time for _that, _later_." _He ground his hips against my behind and I tried not to cry at the feel of his obvious erection pressing into me, but I couldn't help flinching away from him. He pulled my back flush against him and tightened his grip with his thighs.

"You're such a fucking tease. I can smell the blood pumping out of that cut you have and its driving me insane. Let me help you with it; I wouldn't want you to bleed to death, _just yet."_

He let go of my waist and snatched up my wrist, bringing it to his mouth and proceeding to lick and suck the blood from my arm. For one awful minute, I thought he was going to drink me dry, but thankfully he pulled back, sealing the wound with his venom.

"Fuck! You taste good," he said releasing my arm after giving it one last lick. I tried not to shudder at his touch, not wanting to provoke him further. "I knew as soon as I caught your scent again at the house that I was going to have to have a little taste. You do smell good enough to _eat_, after all." He laughed as he said it, while I tried hard to stop myself from shaking.

"You know," he said, just loud enough for me to hear. "I originally had no intention of stealing you away today. Laurent and I were just out for a bit of exploring. We thought we'd check out the Cullen's place and the surrounding area, to see how hard it would be to take you from him. Imagine my surprise when we heard a pack of werewolves, of all things, heading towards the Cullens place."

He changed direction swiftly, causing my head to roll to the side, I was definitely going to be sick if he did that again.

"We decided to follow, down wind of course, and when I saw just those two fucking wolves guarding the back, well it was just too good of an opportunity to pass up. I never expected Edward, of all people, to make it so easy for me. I guess you don't mean that much to him after all."

"Edward loves me!" I hissed under my breath, immediately realizing my mistake when I heard him laugh out loud.

"In that case, it will make our time together so much more enjoyable. _For me_." The last two words were so cold, and I could hear him sneer as he said them.

-oxo-

"Where are you taking me?" I shouted, although I'm sure he would have heard me had I whispered. We'd been riding for ages it seemed, with no sign of stopping any time soon. I was getting stiff and sore from being in this position for so long.

"I've not decided yet. I'll know it when I see it," he replied.

Well what the fuck did that mean? I knew Alice couldn't see anything until he made a decision, I just hoped we weren't too far away when he did.

"He'll find me," I said, willing it to be true.

He laughed out loud and turned his head to whisper in my ear again.

"Cullen couldn't find you if your life depended on it. Oh wait, it does." He laughed again. "I on the other hand, had absolutely no trouble in finding _him_"

He turned the bike down a long dirt trail and I could just make out a small deserted looking cabin at the end of it. He pulled up outside and turned off the engine, his arm sliding round my waist as he sat up and pulled me against him.

"This will do nicely."

He jumped off, dragging me with him up to the front of the cabin. I struggled uselessly in his grasp and he just grinned at my futile attempts. Scooping me up into his arms, bridal style, he kicked opened the wooden door and stepped over the threshold. Panic gripped me at the thought of what was coming next. I could only hope that James kept me alive long enough for Edward to get to here and that there would be enough of me to save when he did. I finally let my tears fall as I heard the door close behind us.

_Find me Alice..._

**EPOV**

"Edward!" Alice cried as I kicked Sam away again. I desperately needed to get inside the fucking house to see with my own eyes that Bella was ok. I knew that Emmett was more than a match for James; he could easily deal with that fucker, but I didn't like to think about Bella getting in the middle of a fight between two vampires. Emmett would do his best to keep her safe, but James wouldn't give a shit. With having to concentrate on Sam's thoughts as much as I was, it became difficult to pick out Emmett's. James knew all about my mind reading ability and only let me in his head when it suited him. I kept getting snatches of Emmett's thoughts but not enough to see what was going on.

"Edward!" Alice shouted again.

Things weren't looking too good for me if I carried on fighting Sam with just the one arm. He'd thrown my other arm off to the side, but I couldn't get to it because he kept lunging at me, as if testing my defenses before moving in for the kill. At least my arm looked to be still in one piece. _Thank fuck._ I should be grateful he hadn't used it as a chew toy. Although Sam had the upper hand, so to speak, I'd managed to hold him off so far but from the way he kept coming at me, it looked like that was all about to change.

"Hang on!" she shouted.

_I'll do my best not to get pulled to pieces, thanks for the advice, Alice. _I thought testily.

I watched as Sam stood snarling a few feet away, his mind sifting quickly through different ways to come at me. To the side of me I could see Alice as she pushed Paul off of her, giving her just enough room to level a vicious kick at his ribs. He howled in pain as he flew through the air and into the nearest tree, snapping the trunk in two and dropping to the floor with a whimper and a thud. He lay there unmoving, with any luck he'd be dead, but either way the fight was over for him. It was no more than he fucking deserved!

My attention snapped back to Sam as he suddenly decided on his plan of attack and leaped for my. injured side. I saw his move seconds before he made it and stepped out of his way at the last minute, grabbing him round the neck. He struggled in my grasp and I was having difficulty holding him with just one arm. I held on as best as I could but I felt my grip loosening. Just as he was about to throw me off, Alice jumped on his back and wrapped all her newborn strength around him, holding him firmly in place.

I looked over at her, knowing that there was only way I wanted this to end.

"Do it!" she hissed, squeezing him so tightly that his ribs started to crack. Sam's thoughts begged for mercy as he realized what was about to happen. It would do him no good; he and Paul had shown no mercy to all those innocent hikers, or to Bella when he'd taken her. I ignored all his fucking pleas, blocking out his mind as I tightened my grip and snapped his neck. With a satisfying crunch, the life left his body and he went limp in my arms. Alice and I quickly let go when his dead body returned to its human form.

I didn't spare him a second look, instead turning to check on the rest of my family, making sure everything was under control while my mind searched out Emmett's thoughts. They had the young wolves surrounded and apart from Quil, who was squaring off with Rosalie, the wolves had pretty much given up the fight. I could see from Rose's mind that she was willing him to attack her so that she could rip him apart. Satisfied the wolves no longer posed a threat, I raced toward the house, trying not to panic about the fact that I couldn't hear either Emmett's thoughts or Bella's heartbeat.

"Edward?" I heard Alice call from behind me, but I couldn't stop to answer her, I needed to find out what the fuck had happened to them both.

I didn't get far before she and Carlisle had me pinned to the ground.

"What the fuck are you doing?" I hissed at them. "I need to find Bella."

"You can't confront James in this state, and you know it." Carlisle spat back at me. "Let me fix your arm first."

I continued to struggle, desperate to get in the house and find out what the fuck had happened to her.

"Edward!" Carlisle shouted, angrier than I had ever heard him. "Hold still and let me fix this arm or I swear I'll burn the fucking thing myself! You are no good to her like this."

_Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. _

I knew he was right, but I hated every second that kept me from her. Reluctantly, I ceased struggling and held perfectly still while Carlisle brought my arm up to reattach to my body.

"I need your venom," he said looking pointedly at me. "Normally I'd collect it with a test tube or something similar, but as your in such a hurry you'll just have to spit on it."

I knew that my venom would make it easier for Carlisle to fix my arm, but this wasn't exactly a pleasant way of doing it. But he was right, there was no time to do it the _pretty_ way. I coated the torn flesh of my severed arm thickly with as much venom as I had and Carlisle pressed it back into place.

"Eww! That's just so _gross_!" Alice said as she wrinkled her nose.

I would have rolled my eyes at her, but I was too busy trying not to cry out at the pain searing through me as my body put itself back together.

"It... was... necessary." I managed to ground out.

It seemed like hours had passed before the pain began to subside and I was able to think clearly again, although in reality I knew it had only been a few minutes. But it was precious time that I had wasted.

"That'll do." I said, shrugging out of Carlisle' grasp and wincing slightly at the pull on my arm.

"You're still weak, Edward. You should wait -"

"No!" interrupted him, turning away and running into the house.

-oxo-

I crashed through the door into my bedroom, registering the fact that it was barely still attached to the frame. I could smell his stench all over the room.

_James._

To my utter fucking horror, I realize it wasn't the only unwelcome scent in my room. As well as being able to smell that both Bella and Emmett had been in here, I could also detect faint traces Bella's blood. The delicious scent lingered in the air and I couldn't deny that something stirred deep inside of me at the thought of it. I swallowed down the venom now filling my mouth and grabbed onto the foot of my bed, to steady myself. I knew that Emmett would never cause Bella to bleed, which meant that fucker had been in here, hurt her in some way, and now all three of them were missing.

_Fuck!_

It was my worst nightmare come to life.

I looked over at the open window, I could tell they'd all left that way because the glass had been shattered. I walked over to it and saw a few drops of blood on the broken glass.

_Bella._

I looked down to the ground below and I prayed to whoever would listen that he hadn't hurt her even more when they'd landed. Just as I crouched to jump down and follow their scent trail, I felt a strong arm pull me back towards the bed.

"What the fuck?" I growled, spinning round and preparing to fight.

"It's just me!" Alice said softly, letting go of me and holding her hands out in front of her. How had I not noticed her presence before now? I shook my head as if to clear it of the haze I'd obviously been in.

"What?" I snapped. I knew she didn't deserve my anger, but she was wasting precious time.

"Emmett called," she hesitated, and when I tried to read her thoughts she was cataloging her shoe collection in her head. I was beyond frustrated that she chose _now_ to try and block me out and I couldn't help but snap at her again.

"For fuck's sake, Alice! And?"

"He lost them. He's on his way back here."

"What?" I yelled, grabbing hold of my hair. "What do you mean, he lost them?"

I began to pace back and forth at the foot of my bed. How the fuck had he lost them? Emmett couldn't have been more than a few minutes behind James when he entered the house. How the fuck did he let them get out of his sight.

"I need to go after them," I said, heading back toward the window. "I have to find her."

Alice was unfortunately still faster and stronger than me and in seconds I found myself pinned to the floor once again. It didn't help that my arm was still healing. I struggled to throw her off, rage rolling off me as I glared at her. She was just too strong for me; her own blood cursing through her body was far more potent than the animal blood flowing through mine. I let my head fall back, defeated.

"You can't even think about fighting James until you're fully healed, Edward. Let's wait for Emmett to get back and hear what he has to say. Please," she urged.

"Fine," I sighed, resignedly. "Now can you please get off me."

She eyed me warily for a few seconds, before slowly getting up and stepping to the side.

"Can you see them? Can you see where he's taking her?" I asked hopefully. If we could get an idea of where the were headed then maybe we could beat them to it. My hopes sank as she refused to look me in the eye.

"No. I can't," she replied quietly. "He hasn't decided anything yet, it keeps changing." She clenched her fists at her side as she shook with silent sobs. "She's my best friend, and I can't do a thing to help her!"

I couldn't think of anything to say that would ease her pain, because she was right. We had no idea where they were, and if Alice couldn't see where they were headed then what the fuck were we going to do?

"Emmett's here," she whispered, just as his thoughts filtered into my mind. They were mixture of anger and regret.

_I'm sorry, Edward. He was too fucking quick._

-oxo-

My family and I all gathered in the living room as Emmett recounted what had happened with James. The remaining wolves had all gone back to La Push with Jacob. When Laurent had attacked him, they'd fought in the forest and Jacob had killed him., ripping his head from his body and bringing it with him back to the house. Jasper and Rosalie had since gathered the rest of him and burnt it all. By the time Jake got back to the house, James had already left with Bella.

With Sam dead and Paul apparently missing; he'd disappeared from where he'd fallen after Alice kicked him, Jake gave the rest of the wolves a simple choice; accept him as pack leader or leave the Reservation. Except Quil. He and Jake went for a quiet word in the trees and only Jake came back. No one asked him about it, because none of us gave a fuck if he'd killed him or made him leave, just as long as he was gone. After what he'd done to Billy, I'd be surprised if Jake had left him in one piece. Carlisle had patched Seth up as best he was able. He'd had a broken arm and a dislocated shoulder. After managing to get James' venom out of his bite wound, Carlisle had had to re-break Seth's arm because it had started to set in the wrong position. That hadn't been pretty. He'd gone back to the Reservation as well, with Carlisle promising to check up on him in the morning.

I looked over at Emmett, he was hunched forward with his elbows on his knees, head in his hands. Rosalie rubbed his back, trying to soothe him. When he'd rushed inside the house after I told him about James, by the time he's reached the bedroom James had already gone, having grabbed Bella and jumped out the window. Emmett had followed after him, but James had a motorbike hidden up near the main road and he got to _it_ before Em could get to _him_. There was no way he could follow them on foot once they hit the public roads without people noticing. We wouldn't be able to pick up her scent either, since in typical Forks fashion, the heavens had opened and had washed away an hope of finding her that way. If he harmed one hair on her head, I would tear him apart, one piece at a time, and dance round the flames as I watched him burn.

We were just going to have to wait until James decided on where to take her so Alice could see it and hope like fuck that we could get there before he hurt her, assuming that is, that he hadn't already done so.

We sat around in silence, each of us lost in their own thoughts, waiting for something to happen. Mine were full of the different ways to exact my revenge on James once we found him. All of them ending with him being a pile of ash. They just varied in how long it took for me to kill him first.

I tried to block out the thoughts around me, not wanting to see the pity, or guilt in Emmett's case. But when Alice all but screamed at me in her head, I focused in on her thoughts and was out of my seat and in front of her in a flash.

"What is it?" asked Jasper, causing everyone to look up and glance between me and Alice.

"She found them!" I answered, excitedly. "Let's go."

-oxo-

**a/n Yay! Alice knows where they are, now they just have to get there in time. Poor Bella, never a minutes peace. It was my birthday on Wednesday and I am feeling old, lol. You know what would cheer me up? Reviews! So please leave one...**


	19. An Eye for an Eye

**a/n Thank you as always to my lovely ladies, GemmaH for prereading this chapter and Tigerlilylace for beta'ing it. Thank to all those out there reading and reviewing, I love you!**

**Sorry this one's a little later than usual, I've been in sunny Spain. Yay. So yeah, not sorry really, but I did write as quick as I could once I got back :)**

**Oh, I should maybe warn you, this chapter is a little darker than usual, jsyk.**

**So, we left poor old Bella in the clutches of the evil and twisted James. What will he do with her...**

**An Eye for an Eye**

_Previously..._

_He jumped off, dragging me with him up to the front of the cabin. I struggled uselessly in his grasp and he just grinned at my futile attempts. Scooping me up into his arms, bridal style, he kicked opened the wooden door and stepped over the threshold. Panic gripped me at the thought of what was coming next. I could only hope that James kept me alive long enough for Edward to get to here and that there would be enough of me to save when he did. I finally let my tears fall as I heard the door close behind us._

_Find me Alice..._

**BPOV**

As soon as the door closed, James threw me unceremoniously down onto the hard floor and disappeared into one of the other rooms. I laid there, trying to catch my breath and calm my racing heart, but he was back all too soon clutching what looked like an old dusty bed sheet.

"Look what I found," he said, brandishing it in front of him like it was the best thing ever. He held it out and began to tear it into long strips as easily as if it was made from paper. I watched with morbid fascination as he grabbed a couple of them and stalked slowly towards me.

"Let's get you taken care of, shall we?" he grinned, wrenching me up on my feet and roughly pulling my hands together. Pain shot up my arm but I gritted my teeth in an effort not to cry out. I knew he was purposefully trying to cause me pain and I didn't want to show him that he'd succeeded. It was probably pointless because I was sure he heard the tiny whimper I couldn't hold in and he could definitely hear the frantic thumping of my poor overworked heart, but I needed to try and put up a fight; for my own sanity if nothing else..

He wrapped the cotton strips tightly around my hands, so tight that I could barely move them. After he finished and spent a few moments admiring his handy work, he looked around the room, tapping his chin as if lost in thought.

"Mmm... where to put you?" His eyes scanned all over the walls, coming to rest on a rusty looking iron coat hook bolted into the wall over by the door. "Perfect," he smiled in that menacing way of his, the sight making my blood run cold.

Grasping me by the elbow he pulled me over to the wall, lifted me effortlessly and secured my bound wrists over the hook. My feet barely touched the ground and I immediately felt the ache in my shoulders.

I twisted my wrists, trying to loosen the ties that James had bound me with, but they stayed secure. The movement caused the material to dig painfully into my skin, so I was reluctantly forced to stop if I didn't want to draw blood, and really that was the last thing I needed to be doing. My wrist was already incredibly painful, from punching Jake and when James had dropped me earlier, so I wisely decided against any further attempts at loosening my ties. The less movement, the better.

I watched James warily as he stood there, perfectly still, contemplating his next move. I'd forgotten how still they could be, not one single part of him moving, it was freaky to say the least. I don't think Edward had ever been as still as this in my presence; he was always tormenting his poor hair or finding some excuse to touch me. Not that I minded in the least, I loved his hands on me. I'd give anything for _them_ to be on me right now, instead of having the threat,_ or promise_, of James touching me again very soon.

His gaze snapped to mine and I saw in his eyes that he was ready to start whatever it was he planned to do with me. He stepped up closer to me until I could feel his breath on my face as he spoke eerily softly to me.

"Do you know why you're here, Bella?"

I didn't think he was expecting an answer, so I kept quiet, not wanting to provoke him in any way.

"Did Edward tell you what he did to me? Why I felt the need to track him and his fucking perfect family so that I could exact my revenge?"

I still didn't answer, but this time it was apparently the wrong thing to do, because his hand shot out and wrapped around my chin, his fingers digging painfully into my skin.

"Fucking answer me, you stupid bitch!"

"Nn... no. He didn't." I struggled to get the words because James' grasp on my chin was getting tighter, making it almost impossible to speak.

"I didn't fucking think so," he hissed, finally releasing me and moving away.

"I stumbled upon the _Cullens,_" I flinched as he spat their name at me. "Thirty seven years ago. I was traveling with two others; my mate Victoria and Laurent." he paused for a second before continuing with his monologue. Whatever he was thinking back on, must have been bad because his face contorted in anger and pain. He shook his head as if to clear the memory and carried on.

"We discovered quickly that the Cullens didn't stick to the traditional vampire diet and our continued plundering of the local villagers was starting to become an issue for them, forcing them to look for somewhere else to live. Not that I gave a fuck, but we'd had our fill of the boring-as-fuck small town anyway and decided to move on to prevent any unnecessary fighting. There were six of them after all, and only three of us.

As we prepared to leave, we happened upon a small house on the edge of the town and thought what the hell, one more for the road. We'd hit the jackpot, there were five of them in there, three of them being juicy teens, a particular favorite of mine."

My face must have registered the disgust I was feeling, because he suddenly laughed and was back in front of me in an instant.

"Oh come on, Bella." he cooed, stroking a long pale finger down my cheek. "They're just so tasty!" He licked his lips and laughed again, but thankfully stopped touching me.

"The Cullens objected strongly to our intended last meal and came to persuade us to leave without feeding. I should have realized they'd be watching us. Rosalie was the first to arrive along with Edward. I was willing to let this one go and just leave before the others showed up, but not Victoria She flew at the door to the house but Rosalie was quicker and got to her before she could get through it. They fought and that fucking blonde bitch was too strong, I was going to lose my mate and there was no fucking way I was having that. I ran and grabbed her, pulling her off my Vicky and slammed her back into the wall. I didn't get to do much else because the rest of them descended on us. I saw him grab her and her and rip her to pieces."

I was a little confused, who had ripped whom to pieces?

"Edward fucking killed my mate and burned her til she was nothing but ashes!" His voice was soft, eerily so, and it scared me more than if he'd shouted it.

_Oh fuck._

"Laurent and I managed to escape and they stupidly decided not to follow us. I swore then that I would make them, _him_, pay for what they'd done. And now I have my chance." He turned to face me and I swallowed thickly. This was it, this was the moment I'd been dreading.

"An eye for an eye, Bella."

"Please...don't do this." I hated myself for begging, but I had to delay him until Edward could get here.

"Oh, don't worry. I'm not going to kill you just yet. I want to have a little fun first."

_Fun?_

Oh God, I really didn't like the sound of that. Instinctively I struggled to get free, ignoring the pain in hands as adrenalin pumped through my veins. I strained on my tiptoes, almost getting my hands over the hook, before I was shoved back, my head smacking the wall, hard.

"Argh!" I screamed as my vision went white momentarily.

"Where the fuck do you think you're going?" he leaned into me and ran his finger nail down the length of my arm, opening up a cut from wrist to elbow. I whimpered at the sting of it and tried not to look as he ran his tongue over the blood, catching every last drop.

"Fuck, that's good!" he closed his eyes, savoring the taste and I fought desperately not to lose the contents of my stomach. I glance briefly at my arm again, to see that once again he'd sealed the wound with his venom.

"We're going to play a little game, Bella."

"What game?" I asked quietly.

"I'm going to ask you questions. With each question I'm going to have a little taste of your delicious blood. Which is rapidly becoming my favorite tipple, I have to say." I cringed at his words. The thought of having his mouth on me again made my skin crawl. "If I like your answer, then I'll close the wound and you'll last a little longer. Who knows, someone may yet come to rescue you." I could tell he didn't really believe that though, he was just teasing me with false hope.

"If I think you're lying, then I'll leave you to bleed; speeding up your inevitable death," he smirked, clearly pleased with himself.

"Well that's just a win-win for me isn't it?" I snarked, unable to hold my tongue any longer.

_Fuck it_!

If I was going to die, I wasn't going to fucking go quietly. I'd answer his questions and hopefully last long enough to see Edward wipe that smile of his fucking face.

"Watch your mouth." he hissed and slapped me across the face, my head snapping forcefully to the side. I felt a trickle of blood slip down the side of mouth from where he'd caught my lip. He took my face in his cold hands and kissed me, his tongue flicking out to lick the blood away. I pushed back away from him, shaking my head to get him off me.

"Strike one, Bella" he snarled. "Any more of that and I won't be so nice."

_Nice?_ Who the fuck was he kidding. I glared back at him, but stayed quiet. For now.

"So, Bella. Tell me about Alice."

-oxo-

He continued to fire questions at me about my best friend, each time slicing me open somewhere new and drinking my blood. My t-shirt, _Edward's t-shirt, _lay in tatters, barely staying on my body. I told him about why we came to Forks in the first place, about the wolves and how Paul had attacked Alice, forcing Jasper to change her. He already knew the Volturi would be coming, since it was the norm when a newborn was created, so I just confirmed it. He asked me if she was Jasper's mate and when I hesitated for a second not sure if I should divulge that information, he thrust is thumb into my open cut causing me to scream. I hurriedly told him that yes, I thought that they were soul mates, but when he asked if she had any talents like Edward and Jasper I answered with no hesitation; I told him as far as i knew she had no abilities whatsoever.

He stared at me, clearly debating whether or not I was lying. I held his gaze, my father always told me that avoiding eye contact was almost always a sign that you were lying. I couldn't afford for him to find out that Alice could see the future. If he knew the specific nature of her ability, he would realize that Edward would now know where he was holding me and that they were more than likely on their way. He would move us for sure.

The more of my blood that he drank, the wilder his eyes looked. When he'd first taken me, he'd been fucking scary, but now he looked positively insane. I hated to think what would happen if he drank much more, he might decide to stop his games and just kill me already. Not only that, I could feel myself starting to get lightheaded from loss of blood. He'd sealed all but one of my cuts up so far, but I had no idea of how much he'd taken from me before closing them.

After drinking from a nasty cut along my abdomen, he closed me up and staggered back a little, running a finger along his lips.

"I could drink you dry," he mused, licking the last bits of my blood from his around his mouth. "But you'll need some left for what I have planned."

_Thank God for small mercies I suppose. _

"Can you guess what I'm going to do to you now, Bella?" he almost purred the words at me, excitement plain as day all over his face.

I shook my head, _no_. Oh God, this was it. He was going to kill me.

_Come on, Edward._

-oxo-

**EPOV**

_Previously..._

"_What is it?" asked Jasper, causing everyone to look up and glance between me and Alice._

"_She found them!" I answered, excitedly. "Let's go."_

"Wait!" Carlisle voice stopped as I headed for the door.

"What for?" I snapped at him. "We need to go _now_!"

"No. You need to explain what it was that Alice saw, for the benefit of those of us who can't read minds," he said pointedly.

I huffed loudly at the fact we were wasting time, but dutifully sat back down and looked at Alice, encouraging her to tell everyone what she'd seen. I fidgeted in my seat, eager to get going as I listened to Alice talk.

"I saw where he's going to take her. He just made his decision and he's taken her inside." I caught a glimpse of what he had planned for her before Alice quickly blocked her thoughts.

"I'll kill him!" I roared, picking up one of Esme's vases and smashing it against the far wall. I expected her to chastise me as usual, but the room stayed silent.

"I'm sorry, Edward," Alice said softly, her voice wavering. I didn't mean to show you that.

I turned to face her when I heard the hurt in her voice. Jasper had his arm wrapped tightly round her, placing gentle kisses on her forehead. She looked like I felt and I remembered then that it wasn't just me who was worried about Bella. She was Alice's best friend, and if the glimpse I'd had into her thoughts was anything to go by, I could only imagine what other horrors Alice had seen. No wonder she looked terrified. I was an ass.

"No, Alice." I sighed, walking over to her and squatting down to look into he eyes. "I'm sorry. I know how close the two of you are and how scared you must be."

"Where is she, Alice?" Carlisle's soothing voice brought us back to the task at hand.

"At a small abandoned cabin in the woods, about 3 hours drive from here. I don't know the name of the place, I don't think James knows either; it seemed to be a spur of the moment decision to take her there. But I saw the route he took in my head so I can direct us as we go."

"Let's go then." We looked round as Emmett spoke up for the first time since he told us he'd lost her. His eyes were full of determination and I could tell from his thoughts that he wanted to get Bella back almost as much as Alice and I did. The fact that he'd been the one that James had escaped from, was weighing heavily on him and he wanted an opportunity to make things right. There's no way I'd deny him that. Fuck, I'd be more than happy to have him along, he was the strongest out of all of us.

"So," Carlisle said, standing up and looking at me, Alice and Emmett. "It's decided? You three will go and get her back, the rest of us remain here and wait in case the Volturi show up any time soon."

"Shit!" I hissed. "I'd forgotten all about them. Alice, do you have any idea when they're likely to get here?"

"No, " she replied. "Aro keeps changing his mind about when to send them. It changes from sending them now, to three days from now. Sorry," she said, shrugging her shoulders.

"Well, that's settled." Carlisle concluded. "Some of us need to be here to stall them if they turn up before you get back. I know its unlikely, but if James gives you the slip again." He held his hands up to silence me as I started to shake my head vigorously and open my mouth to disagree.

"Calm down, Edward. I'm just covering the worst scenario. I don't want to give the Volturi any cause for concern."

"I'm going too." Jasper cut in, his arm still wrapped tightly around Alice. "I'm not letting her go without me." I didn't argue with him, after all I knew exactly how he felt.

Everyone seemed to be in agreement with the proposed plan, except for one.

_Rosalie. _

"I don't mean to sound cold, but why should any of us risk our lives for one human girl. I know she's Edward's flavor of the month, but what is she to the rest of us? I think we've done enough and risked enough because of her already, don't you?" She crossed her arms and raised her eyebrow, focusing her attention on me.

I felt my anger rise to the surface as she basically just said she didn't give a fuck what happened to Bella. I knew Rose could be a bitch sometimes, but I always thought she'd have my back if I needed her. How dare she act as if Bella was no more than a passing fancy!

I was assaulted by a wave of angry thoughts as virtually everyone in the room tried to tell Rose exactly why we should help Bella. But one voice could be heard loud and clear above the rest.

"You fucking heartless bitch!" Alice yelled as she flew at Rose and pinned her to the wall. Emmett went to stop her, but Jasper held him back, telling him with a look to let them sort it out between them. "How can you stand there and say we shouldn't help her when the only reason he took her was to get back at all of you!" Rosalie looked over at Jasper questioningly. "Of course he told me about James. Jasper and I have no secrets."

"Well, technically it's really Edward he wants to get back at." Rose interjected.

"Shut up!" Alice screamed at her. "She is my best fucking friend in the world and your brother's mate. How can you stand by and do nothing while a member of your family, because that's what she fucking is now, gets tortured to death by a sadistic monster!"

I winced at the mention of James torturing Bella to death, desperately avoiding Alice's thoughts as I didn't want to see anymore of _that_.

Alice still had a firm grip on Rose's shoulders, her newborn strength giving her the upper hand. We all waited nervously to see what would happen next.

"Your soul mate, huh?" I nodded as Rosalie regarded me, tight-lipped. Finally she huffed loudly.

"Ok, fine. Do what you have to do."

Alice let go of her arms, but was still glaring at her.

"Look, I'm sorry, ok."

Wow. Rose never apologized. Ever.

Alice smirked at her and moved back over to Jasper's side, slipping her arm around his waist. Apparently all was forgiven.

I will never understand females, especially Vampire ones, but I didn't have time to dwell on it now as the four of us rushed out the house toward the garage. We piled into Emmett's jeep, the roads Alice had seen looked like dirt tracks, so we figured this would be the best one to take, much to Emmett's delight.

We pulled out of the garage, Emmett barely waiting for the doors to fully open before speeding through them, only to come to a screeching halt.

"What the fuck do they want?" I muttered angrily as I opened the door and leaped out to meet them.

"Jacob, Seth." I nodded a quick greeting. "What do you want, we're kind of in a hurry."

"So we see." Jacob replied, looking at who was in the Jeep. "Where are you all going in such a hurry?"

"We know where Bella is, we're on our way to get her."

"Why the fuck didn't you say? Where is she?"

Shit, I knew I should have let them know, I'd promised to tell them the minute we had any news, but in all the excitement it had slipped my mind.

"Look, he's got her hold up in a cabin about 3 hours from here. We really need to go _now_, he could be doing anything to her," I said, all but begging him to get out of the way.

"We'll come with you, just give us a minute to-"

"No!" I interrupted him. "There's no time, we're going _now_. I'll let you know as soon as we have her."

"Fine." he acquiesced, far from happy about it though. "There's one thing you need to know."

"Whats that?"

"We came here to tell you that we've reinstated the treaty in its entirety."

"Meaning?" I asked, willing him to hurry the fuck up.

"Meaning, neither you or any member of your family," he added, looked pointedly at Alice in the car. "can bite a human, or the treaty is broken."

"Fine." I hissed. "Now get out of the fucking way."

I left him standing there and got back into the car, telling Emmett to hit the gas. Seth and Jacob only just managing to jump out the way as we roared passed them.

-oxo-

We traveled in silence for the first hour or so, occasionally broken by Alice's directions. I could tell that Jasper was struggling with all the tension in the car, and it wasn't much longer before he snapped.

"Am I the only one here who wants to know what the fuck we're going to do about the treaty?" He looked around at us, waiting for an answer. When none appeared to be forthcoming, he carried on. "You know what this means, right Edward?"

"Yes, I know what it fucking means. None of us can change Bella, or the treaty will be broken and we'll all be fair game."

"Well, what are you going to do? I presume you planned on changing her at some point?"

"I don't fucking know!" I yelled. "Right now I'd like to concentrate on getting her back before thinking about anything else. She might not even want to be like us. Have you considered that?"

Before he could respond, Alice's next words silenced us both.

"

"It doesn't matter whether she wants to be changed or not."

"What the fuck does that mean?" I asked whilst simultaneously reading her thoughts.

"No." I whispered, clenching my fists so I didn't break anything. The thought of his venom entering her body almost made me speechless with rage. I wanted to kill him so badly I could almost taste it.

"Will someone tell me what the fuck is going on?" Emmett shouted, reminding me that he and Jasper didn't know.

"James is going to change her."

-oxo-

**a/n Soo... everyone still with me? Nasty old James plans on changing Bella, how do you think Edward will react to that? Whatever your thoughts, let me know, pretty please with naked Edwards on top!**

**Ooh, if you fancy a bit of slash, both TwilightsPuppetMaster and I posted our first slash o/s this week. Go check them out. I suspect both of them will be extended :)**

**http:/www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/s/7048214/1/Just_a_Coffee_Please **

Jasper works in a coffee shop,where a dark haired admirer visits the same time everyday. Will Jasper fight his growing feelings or will he give in to the attraction. My slash o/s for Fandom for Floods.

**http:/www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/s/7057247/1/One_click_at_a_time **

**by Twlilght'sPuppetMaster**

Edward doesn't understand why he has to have his picture taken for an interview, but he is very thankful that he agreed to it. All human. Jas/E.


	20. Scream if You Want to go Faster

**a/n Apologies if I didn't reply to your review for the last chapter. Ffn was misbehaving and I lost track of who I'd replied to. I did love reading them, so thank you for taking the time to leave one. Thank you also to my lovely prereader GemmaH for working her magic yet again. This chapter is unbeta'd, I wanted to post it now since it's been so long, lol. I'll replace it with a beta'd version later.**

**Disclaimer: SM owns everything Twilight related. I own nothing, still.**

**Scream if You Want to go Faster**

_Previously..._

"_I could drink you dry," he mused, licking the last bits of my blood from around his mouth. "But you'll need some left for what I have planned."_

"_Can you guess what I'm going to do to you now, Bella?" he almost purred the words at me, excitement plain as day all over his face._

_I shook my head, __no. Oh God, this was it. He was going to kill me. _

_Come on, Edward._

_-oxo-_

**BPOV**

James stood before me, running his fingers slowly across his lips.

"Mmm, Bella, I have waited for this moment for quite some time. I just want to savor it for a little while longer."

He closed his eyes briefly and breathed in through his nose, smiling in that crazy way he had when his eyes finally snapped opened again. He took a step closer to me, one finger trailing along my collarbone.

"Are you scared?" he whispered.

I shook my head vigorously, _no_. I was fucking terrified, but I wasn't about to admit it to _him_. It only served to make me feel a little dizzy though and I knew it wouldn't be long before I passed out. Not that I'd get the chance by the looks of things.

"Such a dirty little liar," he hissed , leaning toward me and running his nose along my skin. "I can smell it all over you." He took another deep breath, obviously enjoying the scent of my fear and desperation. All I could do was watch, wide-eyed, waiting for him to make his move.

"You're right to be scared, Bella," he said, stepping away from me and standing up straight. "I want Edward to suffer as much as I did. I want him to know that the love of his life was brutally ripped apart and burned until there was nothing left but a miserable pile of ash."

_Nooooooo! _

I couldn't hold it in any longer. I heaved at the horrible images that his words had conjured up; my last meal quickly finding its way on to the floor between us.

"Humans are so fucking disgusting," he spat at me. "Don't worry though, you won't _be_ one for much longer."

_What!_

"You see_, _I'm going to change you, Bella. Turn you into a vicious newborn killing machine. I'm going to leave you near the closest town I can find, so that when you wake up, the smell of all those warm blooded humans will pull you in and you'll cause quite the scene as you attempt to slake your inevitable thirst."

I stared at him in shock, my mouth hanging open as I struggled to grasp everything that he was saying. He was going to make me like _him_. I would kill innocent men, women or God forbid, children.

"Noooooooooo!" I screamed. "I will never be like you, even if you changed me, I would never kill anyone." My vision started to swim and I struggled to hang on to consciousness.

He threw back his head and laughed.

"You won't even realize what you're doing at first. The blood-lust will be so strong when you wake up that your only focus will be on feeding. You won't care about anything else until that burn is gone. Only then will you see the monster you've become."

I shook my head vehemently, but he just ignored me.

"When the Volturi discover what you've done, exposing our race like that, they will destroy you." He reached out and grabbed my chin, forcing me to look at him. "Edward may be able to get to you before them, but it will be too late. You'll die just like my Victoria and he will have to watch, just like I had to." He quickly let go, pushing my head to the side in the process.

I started to shake uncontrollably, fear running rampant throughout my body. Of course I'd thought about being like Edward, especially after Alice had come back into my life and I'd seen that she was still Alice, despite being turned. I'd imagined being with him forever, living as his equal. But in that dream I lived off of animals, just like the Cullens. In none of my fantasies had I ever ended up a cold blooded killing machine like James.

"It's a shame I won't be around to see it though. By the time the Volturi get here, I'll be long gone. Of course I'll stick around long enough to make sure you do what your supposed to, but then my revenge will be complete. Edward Cullen will have to live everyday, for the rest of eternity, knowing that his mate is _gone_."

"He's going to kill you when he finds out what you've done." My voice sounded empty to my ears, all hope gone.

"He'll have to catch me first."

He inched towards me, reaching out and tilting my head to the side, exposing my neck to him. I closed my eyes as I felt his lips on my skin once more. I felt his tongue snake out and lick me, tasting me one last time before his teeth sank into my soft flesh. The once quiet cabin was filled with my screams and he bit me again and again, this time injecting his toxic venom into my body.

-oxo-

**EPOV**

_Previously..._

"_No." I whispered, clenching my fists so I didn't break anything. The thought of his venom entering her body almost made me speechless with rage. I wanted to kill him so badly I could almost taste it._

"_Will someone tell me what the fuck is going on?" Emmett shouted, reminding me that he and Jasper didn't know._

"_James is going to change her."_

_-oxo-_

"Why?" Emmett asked, and we all looked over at Alice as she gasped, her hand shooting up over her mouth.

"Nooo," she hissed, and I'd never seen her look so menacing. "He wants revenge Edward." she looked over at me. "He wants her to die just like Victoria did."

"He's going to change her and then kill her?" I asked. It made no sense. I didn't want him to harm a hair on her fucking head, but if he planned to kill her anyway, why bother changing her first?

"He's going to get the Volturi to do it, and he wants you to have to watch." I saw the vision unfold in Alice's mind as she spoke the words, and watched my world fall apart. I saw Bella, in all her red-eyed vampire glory, being forced to her knees before Felix proceeded to tear her body apart. My rage built at an alarming rate and I felt my control on it slipping. The vision of Bella being destroyed was burned forever in my brain and I didn't know if I could handle the feelings that it brought to the surface. My body went rigid and I heard cracking sounds all around me.

"Edward! Edward!" Alice was frantically shouting at me, trying to snap me out of it, but I couldn't answer even if I'd wanted to. I was vaguely aware of the jeep screeching to a halt and doors being opened and slammed shut. Before I had chance to wonder what was happening, I was hauled out of the car and thrown through the air. I slammed into a huge tree, splitting the trunk in two and falling heavily to the ground.

"What the fuck?" I roared, flipping onto my feet and looking round for my attacker.

Emmett stood, twenty feet in front of me, looking angry as fuck.

"You trashed my car, you moody fucker!" He taunted me with his fingers. "Bring it."

I snarled and flew towards him, all the anger and frustration pouring out of me. He dodged out of my way at the last minute, in my haze I couldn't focus enough to read his thoughts or anticipate his moves. As I flew past him he grabbed my arm and swung me into another tree, my head cracking against the ground as I landed. I was stunned momentarily, and the anger, currently clouding my senses, started to lift. I looked up to find Emmett coming straight at me and I quickly raised my hand and shouted to him.

"Stop! I'm sorry about your car. It's just.. the thought... of him.."

"I know, man," Emmett cut in, before reaching down and pulling me upright. "We just needed you to snap out of what ever it was you were just in."

"Are you done now?" Alice asked, walking towards us and raising her delicate eyebrow at me. "Because we need to fucking hurry. He's going to move her."

"Fuck." Emmett and I said in unison, before running back to his jeep and jumping in.

The rest of the journey was tensioned filled, to put it mildly. Alice didn't know which way to direct Emmett until she was almost upon it, which caused several near misses as we were forced to make turns at the last minute. I didn't speak to anyone, and although I fucking tried to read Alice's thoughts, she managed to keep them from me. Judging by the look on her face it was probably better that way.

After another excruciatingly long hour, Alice sat up straight and stared intently out the window.

"Down there, Emmett!" she screamed, pointing down a long dirt trail off to the right. "She's just down there!"

Emmett swung the steering wheel and made the turn as his tires screeched in protest. The car was now silent as we barreled down the track towards where Bella was being held. We rounded the corner and the cabin, that Alice had scene in her vision, came into view. It looked deserted, I doubted anyone had been there in years, until now. I was about to tell everyone that I'd go in first because that fucker was mine, when we heard the most awful sound.

_Screaming. _

_Loud, agonized, screaming._

"Oh my God!" Alice wailed, as she listened to the painful cries of her best friend. I barely registered her words as I kicked the car door open and flew towards the cabin, not bothering to wait for Emmett to stop. I needed to get to her right the fuck now!

"Edward, wait!" Someone shouted from behind me, but I ignored them and flew through the door, ripping it from it's hinges.

The sight that greeted me, stopped me dead in my tracks.

I was too late.

_Jesus Fucking Christ! We were all too late._

My beautiful Bella, covered in blood and writhing in pain, was held fast in James' tight embrace while he sank his fucking teeth into her shoulder. I could smell _his_ venom all over her, flowing through her veins and killing her slowly.

James' head snapped up and his eyes met mine. I felt myself automatically crouch, ready to attack and when he licked his lips and grinned, the sight of Bella's blood dripping off his teeth sent me over the edge and I lunged for him.

He threw Bella to the side and met me mid air. I winced as I heard her body slam into the wall and her screams abruptly stopped, but I was too focused on killing this motherfucker to go to her.

"You're too fucking late, Cullen." he laughed as I shoved him up against the wall, wood splitting and protesting all around us. "How does it feel to smell _my venom, _pulsating through the one you love? Changing her. Marking her. She might as well be mine now."

"No!" I growled, and slammed my fist into his face, again and again, but he continued to fucking laugh knowing that he'd got to me. The thought of anything of his entering her body was driving me insane and I could barely focus on him.

He sensed my sudden loss of concentration and pushed me back, managing to get his foot up and kick me hard across the room. My head smashed into the wall, punching a hole into the wood and sending bits flying everywhere. I was on my feet in an instant searching for him.

Emmett and Jasper had arrived and had him held between them, waiting. I stalked towards him, watching for the realization and fear to set in, but he kept that smug fucking look on his face the whole time.

"You're going to die, now. You know that, right?" I sneered, coming to a stop in front of him.

"So it would seem."

"Your plan to have the Volturi kill Bella will never happen now. You've failed."

He looked momentarily shocked that I knew all about his plans for Bella, but as his eyes drifted over to Alice, who now had Bella cradled in her arms, a look of understanding passed over his face.

"She sees the future?" he said, nodding over toward Alice. "Nice. I guess your girl can keep a secret after all." He closed his eyes and licked his lips again, as if savoring the taste. " I thought I'd tortured everything out of her." He opened them again and grinned. It was all the invitation I needed.

I shot forward, grabbed his head in my hands and twisted until I heard the satisfying sound of it being torn from his body. I threw it to the side, staggering back slightly as I fought to regain my composure.

"Edward!" Alice hissed from her position on the floor, over by the back of the cabin. "Jasper and Emmett will take care of James. Bella needs _you_." She looked down at the petite form laying in her arms, shaking and whimpering as the venom, _his venom_, did its work. I knew it was irrational and that Bella needed me now more than ever, but I couldn't move. My feet were rooted to the spot as all I could see, smell and think about was that James had changed her. He'd been the one to perform this most intimate of acts with _my_ Bella. It should have been me. It should be my venom coursing through her now, turning her into my mate for all eternity. For only the briefest of moments, the idea flashed through my mind that maybe that wasn't true anymore, maybe James had ruined everything for us. As quickly as it had appeared, it was gone. I didn't really believe that, it was just my insecurities rearing their ugly head. Unfortunately Alice had seen and she'd placed Bella gently on the floor and was in front of me before I could blink.

"Don't you dare think that. Ever!" She jabbed her finger into my chest with each word. "Stop being so fucking selfish and thinking about how all this has affected you." She turned slightly and pointed at Bella. "What about her? She's been through fucking hell, and you're standing there wondering if you can still be with her because it was James that turned her?" Alice's voice was incredulous. "If you don't pull that stick out of your ass and go to her right now, I'll fucking kill you myself!" She stood glaring at up me, fists clenched. I could smell the undiluted rage rolling off her as she waited to make good on her threat, and I finally came to my senses.

"Oh God, Alice." I cried. "What the fuck was I thinking." I scrubbed my hands over my eyes as if trying to rid myself of those traitorous thoughts. "I didn't mean it, you know I didn't." She still stared at me accusingly and I knew I couldn't fucking blame her. I stepped round her and rushed over to scoop Bella into my arms, placing gentle kisses over her face. "I love her more than anything."

Her body started thrashing around again and her moaning and whimpering was becoming louder.

"We need to get her back home to Carlisle," I said, standing with her and heading to the door. Alice followed without saying a word, I had the feeling it would be a while before we were back on speaking terms.

Outside, the sickly, sweet smell of burning vampire flesh was all around. Emmett and Jasper were stood by the now dwindling fire and looked over expectantly when they heard us leave the cabin.

"How is she?" Jasper asked, softly. I knew he was asking me about Bella, but his eyes wandered over to Alice. I imagine he'd heard everything that was said inside.

"Changing fast. By the looks of things he bit her multiple times." I swallowed thickly, it was difficult to get the next words out. "I'm not sure how much venom he managed to inject, but it was a lot by the looks of things."

"Let's go, then," Emmett said, kicking out the last of the fire and running to his jeep. I settled in the back with Bella, needing Alice to help me hold her as she now thrashing violently. I hated seeing her in so much pain and I wished I could kill that fucker all over again. I pinned her arms by her side, so that she wouldn't harm her self, and Alice held her legs. It was going to be a long and painful journey home if we had to restrain her all the way. I could see that Alice was having a hard time seeing her like this. Then the screaming started again.

_Fuck._

"Jasper," Alice's urgent voice broke through the noise. "Look in the glove box, there should be a small case. Pass it back to me. Quickly."

He did as requested and in seconds was passing a small rectangular box to Alice, who all but snatched it out his hands. She continued to hold Bella with one hand, while opening the box with the other. Inside were atleast four long syringes, each filled with morphine from the smell of it.

"Alice?" I asked, wanting to now why the fuck she had that.

"Carlisle gave it me. He thought she'd need it for her injuries, but it cant hurt to try now. Can it?"

I nodded for her to continue, anything to stop the screams, and watched as she plunged the needle into Bella's arm. Nothing seemed to be happening, so Alice grabbed another one out of the box and injected her again. We waited, the whole car silent except for Bella's agonized cries. After a few more seconds I sensed the change in her heartbeat and her cries gradually lapsed into soft murmurs and whimpers again.

"Thank fuck for that!" Emmett sighed, rubbing his ear. "She's got a set of lungs on her!"

"Emmett!"

"Sorry."

Bella remained relatively calm for the rest of the journey. Emmett and Jasper chatted in the front while Alice and I were virtually silent in the back. I knew she was still pissed at me, she let me read her thoughts every now and again and they weren't pretty. Mostly they were of what she'd do to me if I ever behaved that way again. I couldn't blame her, I was petty fucking ashamed of myself.

I smoothed back Bella's hair, stroking her face lovingly. I could already see little changes taking place. Her wounds had started to heal, leaving only dried blood in their wake. I didn't know if she'd ever thought about wanting to be like me, and I was fucking certain that she hadn't wanted it to happen like this, but if I was honest with myself, I couldn't wait for her to wake up.

She was going to be glorious.

Strong.

Unbreakable.

I couldn't help it, my mind filled with all the possibilities that were now open to us; I'd be able to hold her as tight as I wanted, kiss her hard and make her mine again and again. I decided to do just that as soon as she woke up.

"Edward!" Alice hissed, breaking me out of my daydreams. "Now is not the time for thinking about _that_." She raised her eyebrow at me and I muttered an apology. I noticed Jasper shift uncomfortably in the front and quickly thought about something else.

We had to get Bella some place safe so she'd be secure when she woke up. Jasper had been lucky with Alice, I didn't think that Bella would be quite as averse to human blood when she finally woke up. We would also have to explain to the Volturi why we now had another newborn. One was acceptable, but two in such a short time could be viewed as suspicious. I closed my eyes and rested my head back against the seat, hoping like fuck that we came through this in tact.

-oxo-

**a/n *peeks out from behind the sofa*** **so.. um..yeah, James did the deed. Poor Edward, he didn't take it too well. As ever, let me know your thoughts. **

**Rec :**

**Isle Esme **by** Bower-of-Bliss**

Where do you go once you've hit rock bottom? How do you escape when reality is out of control? And what happens when you meet the man of your dreams, and he doesn't actually exist? Journey into a strange, dystopian world where all is not as it seems

**http:/www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/s/6856090/1/**

I love this story because it's a little different, and so very good. Go read and leave her some love.


	21. Changing

**a/n I'm so sorry this chapter has taken me so long to write, and that I didn't get chance to reply to all your fab reviews. I won't bore you with excuses. Thank you so much for continuing to read and review this story, I always love reading your thoughts and theories. Huge thanks to Gemmah, for her all her support and encouragement, and especially to Tigerlilylace for beta'ing this in record time.**

**We are also nearing the end, only about 4 or 5 chapters left, I think.**

**Disclaimer: SM owns everything Twilight related.**

**Changing **

**BPOV**

_Pain._

_Deep rooted, excruciating pain._

That's all I registered as his teeth sank into my body, over and over. It was like knives traveling through my veins, and I think I passed out several times, only to be brought round by a fresh incision from his teeth. I wanted to push him off, but my arms hung uselessly by my side as my strength ebbed away. This is so not the way I wanted to die.

I continued to slip in and out of consciousness, barely registering the sound of voices and people arguing. I felt myself fly through the air and slam into the wall but just before I slipped under again I heard the one voice I'd been praying for.

_Edward._

I didn't feel or hear anything else until I became aware of being lifted slightly, hard arms wrapped gently round my body. Bits and pieces of conversation floated around me, but they made no sense.

"_You're going to die, now..."_

"_...sees the future?"_

"_...tortured everything out of her." _

I knew it was James and Edward, but I couldn't understand what they were talking about. But when Alice began shouting, I had a moment of startling clarity and understood her perfectly, almost immediately wishing I hadn't.

"_What about her? She's been through fucking hell, and you're standing there wondering if you can still be with her because it was James that turned her?" _

It took a moment for the words to register.

_He didn't want me anymore?_

_Nooooo!_

My heart clenched, and pain ripped through me, but it had nothing to do with the venom. Alice's words echoed round my head, as I struggled to hang on to consciousness. It was all in vain though and my mind slowly closed itself off again and I drifted towards the blackness. It was a welcome relief from all the pain, but I was snatched from it all to soon, as the venom coursing through my veins made its presence known again.

My body began to thrash around, without my consent, but there was little I could do to stop it. I heard moans and whimpers coming from my mouth, but I wasn't really aware I was making them. Minutes later, fire shot out from my neck and flew down my arms and legs.

"!" I screamed with everything I had, struggling against the weights pinning me down. Just when I thought I would die from the pain, I felt a cooling surge spreading up left arm. It kept on going, flowing throughout my body and putting out the raging fire inside. Without the pain to keep me awake, I finally collapsed, exhausted, into a drug induced unconsciousness. Blissfully unaware of the changes happening inside me.

-oxo-

**EPOV**

The car was quiet as we made our way back to Forks; Emmett and Jasper eventually fallen as silent as Alice and I. I kept my arms tightly wrapped around Bella, even thought she didn't need restraining any longer. I couldn't believe the morphine had worked but the evidence was laying peacefully in my lap. I knew her body was being altered from the inside out, but looking at her now, you'd think she was just sleeping.

Her blood was changing too, as I leaned down and took a deep breath, her scent was no longer as appealing as it used to be; the venom slowly diluting it and replacing it with something just as fragrant though it no longer made my mouth water. Well, not as mush as before anyway. As I ran my eyes along the lines of her delicate neck, they still focused on her pulsing vein and I found it increasing difficult to look away. Her heart was still going strong and pumping both blood and venom around her body. I watched in fascination, totally unaware that I was licking my lips.

"Edward?"

I heard Jasper calling my name, but I ignored him; the pull of Bella's veins keeping my eyes trained firmly on her throat still.

"Edward!" he said a little more firmly.

"What?" I snapped, but didn't look up.

"When was the last time you fed?"

_What? Why the fuck would he ask- _

"Fuck!" I hissed, shutting my eyes and dropping my head back on the seat to avoid looking at Bella. Had I really just been thinking about drinking her blood?

"Too long." I muttered in answer to Jasper's question. With everything that had happened, I hadn't had the time or the inclination to hunt and now I was getting beyond hungry, but I still didn't want to leave her side, not for one fucking minute.

"You need to hunt," he said, turning round in his seat to look at me. "As soon as we reach the cottage."

We'd called Carlisle and filled him in on the situation and he'd suggested we take Bella to the cottage where Jasper had taken Alice. He didn't want the Volturi to find out about her before we had a chance to explain, and that meant having no trace of her in the house. That was assuming that they arrived before she woke up. Once she was awake, there would be no hiding her from them.

I knew Jasper was right, but there was no way I was going anywhere when we got there.

"No." I replied. "I'm not leaving her side."

"You need to feed! For fuck's sake Ed-"

"I'm not leaving her." I cut in, causing him to glare at me and I could tell he really wanted to reach over the seat and hit me. I couldn't blame him, I was being incredibly careless. A hungry vampire was dangerous and unstable, but I just couldn't bring myself to leave her side for even a second.

"Fuck! Fine," he cursed, turning round and facing the front again. "We'll work something out."

Thankfully, no-one spoke for the remainder of the journey and it wasn't long before we were in familiar surroundings and pulling up outside the cottage.

Jasper was out first and opened my door, obviously wanting to take Bella from me so that I could get out of the car. As he put his hand on her shoulder, I couldn't prevent the snarl that bubbled up out of my chest and pulled her protectively towards me. He whipped his hand away and stepped back away from the car.

"Calm the fuck down, Edward! I was just going to help you get her out."

I took a few deep breaths trying to will my irrational surge of anger away. I knew I was acting like this because I was hungry and it was only going to get worse if I didn't feed soon. I shook my head a couple of times and turned to face Jasper.

"Fuck, I'm sorry. You know I didn't mean it. I just..."

"Need to feed," he finished for me.

"Yeah." I looked back down at Bella and didn't know how I was going to tear myself away to go hunt. I didn't want to let her out of my sight ever again.

"Look, man," he said, smiling slightly. "I know exactly how you're feeling."

I gave him a sad smile in return because I knew he was right. Less than a week ago he'd been in the same situation with Alice.

"How about Emmett, Alice and I go hunt and bring you a little something back?" he asked, resigned to the fact that I wasn't going to leave the cottage anytime soon.

"Thanks, Jazz. That-"

"I'm not leaving her if he isn't," Alice cut in as she hopped out of the car and went to stand beside Jasper. He took one look at her stubborn face and threw his hands into the air.

"Fine!" he sighed, no doubt pissed off with the pair of us. "Emmett and I will bring you _both_ something back." With that he motioned to Emmett and they both disappeared into the surrounding forest.

-oxo-

I carried Bella inside and took her straight through to the back bedroom. Her clothes had pretty much been ruined by James and I took no time in removing everything but her bra and panties. I handed them off to Alice with a look that screamed '_just burn the fuckers'. _

She disappeared with them held between her fingers, her face a picture of distaste. When she returned five minutes later, empty handed, I didn't ask and she didn't seem to want to tell. We sat watching Bella in companionable silence, the morphine still appeared to be working because the only sound she made was the odd whimper now and again.

"Edward?" Alice asked, breaking the silence. It was the first time she'd really spoken to me since the cabin incident and I could tell from the tone of her voice that this wasn't going to be a pleasant conversation.

"What?" I sighed resignedly.

"Were you serious, when you were thinking that about Bella?" She turned slightly in her chair so she could see my face. "Back in the cabin I mean."

"I know when you mean, Alice." I replied, thinking of how best to answer. As much as I didn't want to, I decided to go with the truth.

"Yes, I'm fucking ashamed to say, for that one split second, I was deadly serious."

"And now? Do you still feel like that at all?"

"Fuck no!" I whispered harshly. "I just saw what he'd done to her and I lost it for a second. His smell was all over her, inside her, it was just a fleeting thought and I fucking wish I could take it back, but I can't."

She regarded me closely for a second before turning her gaze back towards Bella.

"His scent is still all over her though and his venom is still inside her. Are you sure you're ok with it now?"

"Yes, of course I'm sure. " I answered, my voice soft but firm as I continued to watch the steady rise and fall of Bella's chest. "All I care about is Bella. I love her, Alice, and when she wakes up I'm going to show just how fucking much."

I saw a small smile appear on Alice's face, but she didn't say anything else.

We lapsed back into silence, listening to the constant beat of Bella's heart. Her skin was getting paler, almost the same color as mine and Alice's now. Her long thick hair, splayed out across the pillow, looked darker. I leaned forward and took her hand, stroking it gently. She was still warm to the touch, considerably cooler than normal, but still warm to me. I made the most of these last human moments; I would miss all these things about her, yes, but things between us would be so much better. She'd be stronger, faster and most importantly far less breakable.

_Dinner is served people._

I couldn't help but grin as I heard Emmett's thoughts. I guess he and Jasper were back already. I informed Alice that food was here and we walked outside to see what they'd brought.

"Here you go." Emmett said as he and Jasper stood holding a couple of large looking deer. I could detect their very faint heart beats, they were still alive, barely.

"Thanks." I managed, before snatching the deer out of Emmett's hands as my hunger took over. I vaguely heard him grumbling about my 'lack of manners' but I was too busy drinking to give a shit.. Since I didn't hear a thing from Jasper, I could only assume Alice had been a bit more dignified in getting her meal from him.

We drank the animals dry and tossed them into the trees to deal with later. I wanted to get back to Bella. Before any of us could move, however, I heard the thoughts of the last person I wanted to see today. The others groaned in unison when our visitors emerged from the forest.

"Cullen." Jake and three of his pack had phased into human form just in front of us.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" I hissed, looking over our unwelcome visitors with a grimace. I knew perfectly well why they were here though.

_Bella._

Obviously news had traveled fast, I had no idea how they found out, I imagine they'd been watching my family's house somehow, but we hadn't yet been home. I guessed they were more resourceful than we gave them credit for.

"You know _exactly _why we're here, so don't even fucking try to deny it." Jacob replied, his fists clenching at his side. His mind was filed with images of how he was going to destroy me for biting Bella. He was eager, looking forward to telling me I'd broken the treaty, and therefore that me and my family were now fair game. I allowed myself to smile a little because he was going to be so sorely fucking disappointed.

"I assume it's about Bella?"

"Of course it's about Bella, and what you did to her!" He took a deep breath as he began to shake. I glanced at my family who were now gathered either side of me, poised and ready for action. "There's no way to talk yourself out t it this time, Cullen. The treaty is broken, I just need to see her to prove it. Are you going to deny me? Because that will do just as well."

He was grinning darkly now, along with the rest of the pack. The anticipation of an all out fight to the death was pumping through all of them.

"I'll let you see her, but you're wrong."

His eyes narrowed as his gaze snapped back to mine.

"The fuck I am!" he roared and took a step towards me. Everyone else tensed, ready to attack at any second. "I can hear her heart from here. It's not beating as it's supposed to, she's changing into what you fucking made her!"

"Yes, she's changing, but I didn't bite her."

"It doesn't fucking matter which one of you Cullens did it, you're still going to die."

I saw the attack in his head and before he had chance to act, I flew out of the way holding my hands up.

"Stop!" I yelled out, causing him to halt after he'd recovered from falling when I'd moved out of the way. "We didn't bite her, it was James. And he is no fucking member of my family. We tried to stop him but it was too fucking late."

"I don't believe you." His thoughts betrayed him however and I could already hear the doubts beginning to surface. "You want nothing more than to have her like you."

"I don't deny that the idea had crossed my mind, but I would never have done it without her permission. He'd already done it when we reached the cabin. There was nothing we could do. We haven't broken the fucking Treaty."

Jacob and I continued to stare at one another, while his mind struggled to accept that there might not be cause for a fight anymore. The rest of the pack were equally pissed off, but they wouldn't back down until ordered to by their Alpha.

"I don't trust you. I want to see for myself."

"Fine. Follow me."

I didn't want him anywhere near her, but I didn't want an all out fight with the wolves either.

"The rest of your pack stays here."

He nodded his agreement and followed me inside, leaving my family and the remaining wolves to silently face off against each other as they waited for us to come back out.

I led Jake through the relatively small cottage towards the bedroom where we'd put Bella. I paused before opening the door hating the fact that I had no choice but to let him in there. As I walked in, I heard his sharp intake of breath as Bella's pale form came into view.

"Fuck," he whispered, as though he was afraid to wake her. "She's already starting to look like one of you."

I knew he meant it as an insult, but I couldn't help the surge of emotion that bubbled up inside of me. Bella was going to be one us soon. While I was more than a little anxious about how she would react to the way this was forced on her, I was also beyond excited to finally show her _my_ world. I decided it was best not to let Jacob see my reaction to his words and kept my emotions hidden.

He walked over to the side of the bed and carefully sat down, taking her hand in his. I managed to stifle the growl that threatened to burst out of my chest as he touched her.

_Just_.

He took a deep breath in and I watched his features darkened.

"Jesus Christ. I can smell him all over her. He's the one who she met in the woods isn't he? I recognize the scent." I nodded in confirmation. "What the hell did he do to her?"

I knew this meant that we were off the hook, because Jacob now knew we hadn't broken the Treaty, but his question brought back all sorts of horrific images from the cabin and this time I did growl.

_Loudly._

Jake's head whipped round at the sound and his expression changed from concerned to smug in a second.

"Oh, this must fucking kill you." He laughed as he let go of Bella's hand and stood up. "Knowing that another vampire has been and done what you couldn't. Taken something that you can never get back." He walked forward until he was right in front of me. Taunting me. "I bet it must eat you up inside to know that another's venom is flowing through her veins instead of yours."

"I don't care about any of that." I spat out through gritted teeth.

"Yeah, sure you don't" he laughed as I practically vibrated with rage.

"I love her, you fucker..." I hissed and lunged for his throat. I was immediately pulled backwards by an iron grasp and bombarded with Emmett's thoughts. He must have run in from outside, which was fucking lucky for Jacob because he just saved his life.

_Don't. It's what the little prick wants. He's not what's important here_.

He shifted me slightly until I was facing the bed, where Bella had started to thrash about and moan.

_She is._

"You, out. Now." he said to Jacob, in a tone that suggested any arguing would end in serious pain.

"With pleasure." he replied and stepped around us towards the door. "I got what I came for." I felt myself calm considerably as soon as he left the cottage.

"How did you know?" I asked, referring to him arriving in time to stop me from killing Jacob. I hurried over to the bed as I waited for his reply, taking Bella's hand in mine and smoothing her hair away from her forehead.

"Because he's a dick."

He didn't need to say anymore and left me alone while I tried to calm Bella down. I continued to stroke her hair, all the time whispering that I loved her and that it didn't matter that it was James who had turned her. I wanted her with me forever. Eventually she stopped moving and returned to the soft whimpering from before. I stayed where I was though, content to sit watch her as she slowly became just like me.

-oxo-

Night had fallen on our little hideaway, when my phone's incessant ring-tone roused me from my thoughts. I'd been imagining what it would be like to hunt with Bella by my side, teaching her how to stalk our prey and take them down with the least amount of effort. The image of her feeding had me so instantly hard, I had to stop that line of thinking quickly. I took a quick look at the phone's caller ID and flipped it open.

"Carlisle?" We'd only spoken a few hours earlier, so I was a little wary about why he would be calling now.

"You, Alice and Jasper need to come back to the house, now. The Volturi are coming."

"What? Why didn't Alice see anything?"

"I have no idea, but I just received a _courtesy call _fromAro, saying a contingent of his would be with us shortly and that he expects the whole family to be there to greet them."

"Fuck! I can't leave Bella all alone, it's not safe. What if she wakes up?"

"She should have another day at least, and Alice can keep an eye on her future, to see when she'll wake up."

I snorted loudly, as I said my goodbyes and hung up. After missing something as big as the Volturi coming I didn't really trust Alice's abilities at the minute. I heard footsteps running down the hall outside and frantic thoughts all over the place.

Talk of the devil...

"Edward! We have to call Carlisle immediately. The Volturi are coming, they'll-"

Alice stopped mid sentence as I waved my phone at her.

"Carlisle beat you to it."

"What?"

"Aro called him, his people will be here soon." I raised a questioning eyebrow at her.

"But...how? I've been watching for Aro to make a decision and I didn't see anything until now, I swear."

She looked panicked and I suddenly felt guilty for blaming her. It was no fun when you couldn't rely on your abilities any more. We sat in silence for a few minutes, when a thought suddenly occurred to me.

"Maybe it wasn't Aro's decision."

"What do you mean?"

"You said you were watching Aro, well maybe it wasn't his decision this time and that's why you didn't see it."

"It's possible," she said, looking a bit brighter. "Either way, we need to get back to the house. Emmett is already there, so it's just me you and Jasper."

"We can't leave her on her own." I said, looking back down at Bella.

"She's not going anywhere Edward. And with James out of the way and Jacob in charge of the wolf pack, there's no danger to her around here. We can lock her in and I'll keep an eye on her. I'll be able to see the exact time she's going to wake up and we can get back here in time. Trust me."

I couldn't help but scoff a little at that, because I still had my doubts about her seeing the future, despite what I'd said a minute ago.

"I care about her too. Do you think it's easy for me to leave her?"

"No." I replied, feeling guilt washing back over me. "I suppose not."

I gave Bella one last kiss and reluctantly followed after Alice.

-oxo-

Jasper , Alice and I arrived back at the house, just as Carlisle and Esme were coming out.

"Going somewhere?" I asked Carlisle, a hint of confusion in my voice. "I thought we were all waiting on the Volturi?"

"We are." He nodded his head, gesturing behind me and I heard the unmistakable sound of tires crunching on gravel.

_They were here._

**a/n so... the Volturi will be up next. Any ideas as to how that will go? Go on, review and let me know. I'm on holiday for 2 weeks from Jul 30th, so the next chapter may take longer than I would like. I'll be camping, so there's absolutely no chance of me updating while i'm away, lol.  
**

**Rec:**

If you like a bit of Slash, you must read this...

**http:/www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/s/7001938/1/Roads by prassacut**

**When Edward & Jasper met one drunken night, neither of them could have known how much that chance encounter would change their lives. AH/Slash **


	22. The Volturi

**a/n I haven't replied to many reviews this week as I wanted to try and get this chapter out before I went on holiday. So apologies if I missed you, but I thought this would be way better. I love all your reviews, so please don't stop. Thanks to Tigerlilylace for beta'ing this super quick and to Gemmah for her continued support and invaluable help with this story.**

**Disclaimer : SM owns everything Twilight related.**

**Here we go...**

**The Volturi **

_Previously..._

"_Going somewhere?" I asked Carlisle, a hint of confusion in my voice. "I thought we were all waiting on the Volturi?" _

"_We are." He nodded his head, gesturing behind me and I heard the unmistakable sound of tires crunching on gravel._

_They were here._

**EPOV**

We were joined by Rosalie and Emmett, as we stood waiting for the Volturi to arrive. No-one spoke, but from the thoughts flying around, everyone was pretty fucking nervous about what was about to happen. Well, except for Rosalie, maybe. She wasn't overly concerned about their arrival since Alice and Bella's welfare didn't matter that much to her.

I shot her a disapproving look and she just shrugged her shoulders in return. I was about to say something about her being a heartless bitch, when _their_ car appeared at the end of our drive. I strained to hear the thoughts from inside, but of course they knew all about me and everyone in that car was blocking me out. I was at least able to tell who was inside though.

"It's just the four of them, no mind reader." I said quietly to Carlisle. Now we could relax a little knowing they wouldn't find out about Bella, until we told them. It didn't buy us much time since she'd be awake in a day or two, but it did give us the opportunity to explain the situation to them, rather than have them find out about it.

The car stopped about ten feet from where we were and all four doors opened at once. One by one, the vampires emerged and stood together in front of us.

"Carlisle." It was Jane who spoke. I guessed she was in charge for this trip, which would make sense since she wielded the most power. "How nice to see you again, as well as the rest of your _growing_ family."

No-one missed the emphasis she placed on the word 'growing'. It was widely known that Aro frowned upon large covens as he saw them as a threat to his rule. If they were irritated with one new addition, how the hell would Jane react when we told them about Bella?

"Always a pleasure, Jane," Carlisle replied smoothly.

She snorted slightly.

"Somehow, I doubt that."

He chose to ignore her last statement and gestured for her to enter the house. She smiled, and it almost reached her eyes, as she followed Carlisle and Esme inside.

We were left to escort the other three inside, one in particular making a bee-line in my direction.

"Hello, Edward," Heidi purred, as she walked up to me and ran her fingers down my chest. "It's been a while."

Unfortunately, Heidi and I had a little history together. When the Volturi had come to investigate Victoria's death, it had been Heidi and another female guard, Irina, who'd been sent. Let's just say we got on well and _things_ happened. But it was different now; I had Bella.

"Yes, it has," I answered, gently removing her hand. "Shall we go inside and join the others?"

"Okay, if you're sure you don't want to stay out here a while?" She looked me over, and allowed me to see her less than clean thoughts about my body.

"I'm sure." I laughed softly as she thought _it's your loss, _turned abruptly and strutted inside the house.

_This was going to be such fun. Not._

-oxo-

"You're earlier than we were expecting." Carlisle was talking to Jane when we entered the living room. "Alice has only been awake for a couple of days."

"And doing remarkably well for a newborn, by the looks of things," she said walking over towards Alice. Jasper stiffened beside her, but didn't move. I could tell he wanted to just take Alice and run. "We had some business to take care of which was concluded far quicker than expected and I decided to come straight here. The sooner we are done here, the sooner we can get back home." She paused and turned to look straight at me. "We also received word that a vampire had died not too far from here, so I was naturally curious to see if there was any connection."

_Shit._

I'd forgotten there were members of the Volturi who could sense vampire deaths as well as newborns. Seeing Heidi again should have reminded me, but it had totally slipped my mind, and everyone else's it seemed. It looked like we'd be telling them about James as well.

"Shall we get to the original point of your visit?" Carlisle suggested, moving over to stand next to Jasper and Alice. "I assume you want to know about the how's and why's of Alice's transformation."

"Yes. That is the _main_ reason for our visit after all."

I felt a sliver of uneasiness creep up my spine.

Jasper and Alice appeared content to let Carlisle do most of the talking, which was wise since he'd had a lot of experience at dealing with the Volturi. He explained how they had met, and how they'd become close, before Alice had been attacked and left for dead. He chose to leave out the fact that she'd been attacked by one of the Quileute wolf pack, letting them presume instead that a human had attacked her. The Volturi didn't know about the wolf pack, and it was better for all involved if it stayed that way. We didn't need to give them another reason to hang around and I'm sure Aro would want to know all about the wolves.

Things took a nasty turn when Demetri laughed and muttered something about '_he could see why Jasper didn't just leave her to die and find another toy to play with, and that he wouldn't mind a go with her himself._' But Carlisle and I managed to restrain Jasper to prevent him lungeing for Demetri, which just made him laugh even harder. That was until Jane shot him a dirty look; he shut up pretty quickly after that.

_Yeah, remember your place, fucker._

It was about the one and only time that I was pleased to have Jane there.

"Apart from her obvious physical appeal, why did you see fit to change her, Jasper?" Jane asked him, not wanting to let Carlisle answer for him this time.

This was the crucial part. You couldn't just go around changing humans at will, there had to be a good reason and an after-care plan in place, or the Volturi would just destroy them. They couldn't have rogue Newborns running around all over.

"Because she's my mate, and I love her." Jasper answered, pulling Alice tighter into his side.

Jane took a long look between the two of them, as if gauging the truth of his statement. Her neutral expression flickered for an instant and I could have sworn I saw the barest hint of a smile. Her mind was still blocked to me, so I had no idea what she was thinking. Finally she spoke, putting us all out of our misery.

"You appear to be telling the truth, and as far as I can tell, your newborn poses no threat of exposure."

"Her name is _Alice,_" Jasper foolishly interrupted and I wanted slap him for being so stupid. You did not interrupt Jane. Fortunately, she just raised a questioning eyebrow at him and Carlisle stepped in before she could do more. He took her off to one side to discuss the unnecessary, but required precautions for taking care of Alice.

I gave Jasper my best '_you're a fucking idiot' _glare, but didn't say anything out loud. Alice had been keeping an eye on Bella while we'd been stuck trying to talk our way out of things with the Volturi. and I was anxious to find out if everything was ok. I was sure she'd have told me if it wasn't, but I wanted to get confirmation for my own peace of mind. I wasn't sure how to go about it though, and for once I wished she could read _my_ mind.

I'd tried reading hers, but her thoughts had been full of her, Jasper and Jane, which was to be expected. Just as I was about to grab her hand to get her attention, her eyes snapped to mine, a look of panic etched on her face and her thoughts now screaming at me.

_I can't see Bella anymore._

"What?" I hissed under my breath.

_I was watching for any change in her, to see when she might wake up, and then nothing. You know what this means, right? Wolves._

"Fuck!" I swore quietly. What the hell were Jacob and the pack doing back at the cottage? Carlisle glanced over at us, obviously having heard me curse. I shook my head, indicating we had trouble and he turned back to Jane, hopefully distracting her for a moment. Unfortunately, the three other Volturi guard were looking right at us.

"Is there something you want to share?" It was Felix who spoke this time. His gaze switched between us as he waited for a response.

"Hey, Felix?" Emmett shouted from his perch on the arm of Rosalie's chair. The pair of them had been so quiet I'd almost forgotten they were there. "They say you're the strongest in all of the guard. I bet I'm stronger."

"What?" Felix whipped round to glare at a grinning Emmett. "I'd crush you like a fucking bug, Cullen."

"Care to try?" Emmett taunted him, flexing his arm muscles. I could have kissed him. Felix would never back down from an outright challenge. There was no way Emmett would beat him, but he'd bought us some precious time to work out what to do. He gave us one last look and turned to go arm wrestle Emmett.

_Edward, we need to go back to the cottage, now. We need tell the Volturi about James and Bella. It's the only way we can leave here without it causing problems._

Shit!

I knew Alice was right, but I wasn't looking forward to telling them that we had another newborn in the family, but there was no other way.

I cleared my throat to get everyone's attention, and all except Emmett and Felix, looked over at me curiously.

"Jane, we have something else we need to discuss with you."

"Oh? What might that be?" she asked, her expression giving nothing away.

I swallowed thickly and hoped like fuck that this would all turn out ok. I felt Alice squeeze my arm in encouragement.

"We have another newborn about to wake up." My statement was met with total silence. They clearly weren't expecting that. "Her name is Bella. She was tortured and changed by another vampire, James, who we killed when we rescued her."

I waited anxiously for her response to that little nugget of information. "There was nothing we could do, he'd already bitten-"

"Excuse me a moment." She stopped me mid-sentence as her phone beeped, obviously indicating she'd received a text message. She read it quietly, but said nothing about its content.

"Felix." She called him over and showed him the message on her phone. "You know what to do?"

"Of course," he hissed, clearly pissed at having to take orders from her. She smiled just a little and he flinched, his hands curling into fists at his side. "Yes, Jane. I know what to do."

"Much better," she laughed as he turned on his heel and stalked off.

"Right, where were we?"

"Problem?" Carlisle asked.

I knew he was concerned that her text had something to do with Bella, and I was too. Especially because she sent fucking Felix. I couldn't see anything in her mind, so I shot a look at Alice to see if she had any idea. She shook her head, clearly as frustrated as me. She was still unable to see anything that involved Bella.

"Nothing of your concern," she replied, effectively shutting him down. "Now, tell me how Bella came to be James' target."

Now it was my turn to talk. I started from the beginning, reminding them that James already held a grudge because of Victoria. I explained how he'd obviously been tracking my family, and when he'd sensed my connection to Bella, it put her right on his radar as a possible means of revenge.

"Mmmm," Jane pondered, walking around the room and stopping a few feet from where I was standing, before turning to face me. "And what was your connection to Bella exactly?"

This is where I had to be careful, because unlike Alice, Bella had known that I was a vampire well before she was changed and that was against the Volturi law. I had a feeling Jane suspected this but there was no way I was going to own up to the fact.

"We'd been spending a lot of time together and had developed feelings for each other."

"Feelings?" She scoffed. "What is it with you Cullen boys and human women?"

I kept quiet, assuming it to be a rhetorical question.

"Did she know about our kind, before he changed her?"

"Yes," I replied and there was a collective hiss from the Guard. "James grabbed her and jumped from the second story window, then ran off into to the forest with her at top speed. He then tortured her for God knows how long," I added hurriedly, before anyone could point the finger at me. "It would have been impossible for her not to know."

Ok, I hadn't told the whole truth, but I hadn't lied either. There was no way for her to know that I'd told Bella far earlier than that. _I hoped_.

"Since you weren't directly responsible for changing the girl, we will take no further action. But I don't want to hear of any more additions to your _family_ in the near future. I'm sure Aro would not be pleased." She didn't say as much, but we all knew it was a thinly veiled threat. "I assume you will take all the necessary precautions with this one too?" She looked to Carlisle for confirmation and he nodded.

"Oh, by the way," she added, looking back over at me. "That text I received, was from Aro. Apparently your newborn has woken up, so I sent Felix to check on her. He should be there by now." She smiled sweetly at me and I wanted to kill her. "Shall we go and see how they're getting along?"

I knew certain vampires in the Volturi guard were able to detect when newborn vampires came out of their change, but I never expected they would inform Jane immediately. They were able to identify the general area that the newborn was in, but not the exact location. Given where Bella was though, it wouldn't take Felix long to find her.

We needed to hurry.

**BPOV**

The surrounding sounds began to get louder, as I felt the blackness start to slip away. I'd heard mumbled voices and snatched conversation while I'd been under, but I didn't know how much of it had been real. I was almost sure I'd heard Edward say he loved me, but after what I'd heard Alice say, I didn't trust it to be true. I just assumed I'd dreamed that bit.

My eyes snapped open and I could see _everything, _literally_. _It only took a moment for me to realize my new improved vision was due to the fact that I was now a vampire. All my senses were heightened and I had the unnerving feeling that although my change was now complete, it had been something else that had shaken me into consciousness.

I listened intently, trying to decipher every last sound that my ears could now detect. As I sorted through them, I heard one sound that was sort of familiar, yet not one I expected. A heartbeat, and it was getting closer. A creaking out in the hall had me jumping off the bed, my throat burning as the pulse of blood through veins and arteries filled my ears.

But something was off. The accompanying smell was anything but appealing; I'd thought humans were supposed to smell appetizing.

The door suddenly slammed open, banging hard against the wall and I immediately knew what the smell was from.

"Well, well, well. Look at you, all undead and everything!"

_Fucking Paul._

He was the last person I expected to see. Normally, I would be terrified and feeling defenseless right about now, praying for someone to come to my rescue. But not _now_. No, now I was different; stronger, faster, _unbreakable_. As I thought about all the innocent people he had killed, including Alice and my Dad, I felt a surge of strength shoot through me and venom flood my mouth, preparing my body for attack.

_Paul and I were going to have some fun._

"Yes, take a good look at me, motherfucker." I smiled, showing him all my white and exceptionally sharp teeth. "I'm going to be the last thing you ever see."

"I don't fucking think so, you stupid bitch."

He immediately burst into his wolf form, his huge bulk making the room seem a whole lot smaller. He stared at me, snapping and snarling as he poised for attack.

_Like that was going to help him._

He flew at me, teeth bared and heading for my throat. I grabbed him by the front legs and swung him away from me, sending him crashing through the wall and into the living room. I heard him whimper and smiled in satisfaction as I stepped through the hole he'd made.

I'd barely pulled myself through when I felt a stinging pain in my right thigh.

"Arghh!" I screamed, looking down to see his teeth sinking into my flesh.

With my hands on either side of my leg, I took hold of his jaws and slowly prised his mouth apart. I continued to pull them apart even after he was clear of my leg, until I there was a loud snap. I'd broken his jaw.

He lay on the floor, a crumpled and defeated mess. I had no pity for him and he was going to get no mercy from me. Scooping him up, I threw him straight through the glass of the french doors, shattering them completely. I'd have to apologize to the Cullens for ruining their cottage.

I followed after him, avoiding the shards still sticking to the door frame and stood over his dying body. He'd reverted back to his human form and the blood flowing from his various cuts was making my throat burn.

His hate-filled eyes watched me as I bent down to whisper in his ear.

"This is for Charlie. There'll be no coming back for you this time."

I took hold of his neck and with a quick flick of my wrist, he was dead. I watched with no guilt whatsoever as the life left his eyes. The urge to feed was almost unbearable now and the call of his blood was too strong to resist.

I bit into his skin and took a deep pull from his throat, unable to help myself.

_Oh fuck_, it was revolting and I almost gagged. Leaning over to the side, I spat out the offending liquid, desperate to get rid of the foul liquid.

_Figures that they'd taste nasty too_.

I heard slow clapping from behind me and spun round snarling.

_Vampire_

It was no-one I recognized and I wondered if he was part of the Volturi._ Were they even here yet? _I had no idea of how long I'd been out of it for. I decided I should play nice, at least until I found out who he was.

"You must be Bella," he said, suddenly in front of me.

"Yes," I replied, figuring there was no point in trying to lie. "Who are you?"

"Felix."

I guessed that answered my earlier question. _Volturi Guard_. Where were the rest of them though? And where was Edward? Surely he wouldn't leave me to meet them alone? Felix took a step closer to me and I could smell faint traces of arousal coming off his body. I started to back away slowly, but he followed, fixing me with his predatory gaze.

"Watching you fight was hot as fuck." His eyes ran over my body and he licked his lips, making my insides twist with disgust. "I have something you need to take care of." He gestured to the bulge in his pants.

_So much for playing nice._

"I don't think so, you fucking creep." I threw myself at him, expecting him to buckle under my attack, but to my surprise and ultimate horror, he held his ground, grabbed hold of me by the arms and pinned me against the wall of the cottage. That wasn't right, I was a newborn. I should be stronger than him.

He laughed loudly at the confusion clearly written all over my face.

"Not expecting that, were you?" I shook my head, still a little stunned from the turn of events. How the fuck was I going to get out of this? "You're very strong Bella, even for a newborn, but I'm stronger. It's my _talent_, if you will."

I struggled against his grip, using all my strength to push him off of me. I felt his hold on my arms start to loosen and I fought with everything I had. Just when I thought I was about to get free, he picked me up and slammed me against the wall. Grabbing both of my wrists in one of his huge hands, he shoved them roughly above my head, using the weight of his body to keep me in place.

"Like I said." He ground his hips against me and I felt his erection pressing into my stomach. "I've got something you need to take care of."

He leaned in to kiss me and rage exploded inside my head.

_This was not fucking happening to me. _

I felt his breath on my cheek as he licked at my skin.

"Noooooooooooo!" I screamed. My vision blurred for a second, then everything turned a bright crimson. I focused all my rage and revulsion on the man in front of me, my body starting to vibrate with the effort.

"What the fu-" It was all he got out before he was pushed back from me with such force that he flew through the air and into the nearest tree, snapping it clean in half.

I slid down the wall, the effort it took to do whatever I had just done, draining me of all my strength and I collapsed in a heap on the floor. I watched helplessly as Felix struggled to his feet, brushing off pieces of bark from his clothes.

"You're so gonna pay for that," he yelled, and starting running towards me.

_Oh God_, this was it. I had absolutely nothing left and he would be able to do whatever he liked to me.

"Enough." A voice snapped through the forest and Felix immediately fell to the floor, writhing in agony.

I looked over to see who'd spoken and was met with a sight so unexpected, I almost laughed. There stood a girl of no more than sixteen or seventeen. She was petite, blonde and was so angelic looking, that if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes I would never have believed her capable of inflicting such pain.

"Bella? Oh my God, Bella are you ok?"

_Edward._

All of the Cullens were here, and by the looks of it three more Volturi Guard. Everyone was looking between me, Felix and the dead body between us.

"Well, I assume you must be Bella." said the petite blonde. "Do you have a good reason for fighting with one of the Volturi Guard? Or should I just let Felix destroy you now?" I cast a glance at over at Felix and caught him licking his lips. Ugh! "And who, or should I say what, is that dead, funny smelling human with your scent all over it?"

My eyes searched out Edward's, pleading for him to say something. He may not want me anymore but surely he didn't want me to be killed either? His eyes however, were focused on Paul. I knew all the Cullens would have recognized him, but no-one was owning up to the fact. Did the Volturi not know about the wolves?

Alice was the first to look up at me, and I realized as I looked at the worry on her face, that I was possibly in deep shit. Not only had I been caught fighting with a member of the Volturi Guard, which was apparently something one didn't do, but I'd possibly let the cat out of the bag concerning the wolves too.

_Oh fuck._

I could only hope that they'd believe me when I explained about Felix's attack. Surely that was a good enough reason to fight him, right?

**a/n Sooooo... thoughts on Vamp Bella? Who expected Paul to pop up then? At least he's gone for good this time, lol.**

**I will not be updating for at least 2 weeks, probably 3. I hope this keeps you going until then.**

**Becky.**


	23. Accusations and Answers

**a/n What can I say, apart from I'm sorry this has taken so long. Huge thanks to GemmaH for beta'ing this for me when she's such a busy girl. Thanks to all of you for continuing to read and review, I love each and every one and I tried to reply to all this time. Apologies if I missed you.**

**So, we left Bella with the Volturi. Let's see how she gets out of that...**

**Disclaimer: SM owns everything Twilight.**

**Accusations and Answers**

_Previously..._

Oh fuck.

_I could only hope that they'd believe me when I explained about Felix's attack. Surely that was a good enough reason to fight him, right?_

**BPOV**

"Bella?" Edward breathed my name as his eyes roamed over my new and improved body, darkening slightly when he finally met my gaze.

I shivered a little under his scrutiny, allowing myself to get lost in his hungry stare for just a moment, before those awful words that I'd heard in the cabin came back to haunt me.

"_What about _her_? She's been through fucking hell, and you're standing there wondering if you can still be with her because it was James that turned her?"_

I tore my eyes from his and concentrated on the interesting piece of grass by my foot, poking at it with the toe of my shoe.

"Bella, I'm so sorry I left." The pain in his voice nearly broke me, but I refused to look at him. "I'm sorry that you had to wake up all alone and I-"

"Enough!" The command cut Edward off in mid-sentence. I looked up quickly to see dark red eyes trained on him. "I want an explanation for all this, first." Blondie waved her small hands between me, Felix and Paul's dead body.

"Of course, Jane," he replied, nodding his head slightly.

_Mmm, so that's Jane_.

The air was heavy with tension as everyone appeared to be waiting on my answer. I felt the sudden urge to run for it. I would be faster than most of them, being a newborn, so maybe I could just outrun them all and hide out for a bit.

_Yeah, that would never work._

The Volturi were here to check that I wasn't going to expose them; they were hardly going to let me run off unsupervised. The thought was very appealing though and definitely seemed like a much better plan than staying here and possibly incurring the Volturi wrath.

I quickly glanced over the faces present as I imagined darting past them and off into the forest. Knowing my luck _Jane_, the nasty little blond, would probably zap me, or do whatever it was she did to Felix. As my gaze landed on Alice, she shook her head ever so slightly and mouthed the word 'No' at me. _No, what?_ My brows furrowed as I continued to stare at her, my lack of understanding clearly frustrating her because she then rolled her eyes and mouthed 'Don't run'.

_Oh, of course she'd know._

Well, if she'd seen it and was telling me not to go, it was obviously a shitty plan. Oh well, I'd just have to-

"I'm waiting." Jane's icy voice snapped me out of my internal musings.

I took a deep breath, turned to face her and prepared to tell my side of what happened with Felix. She'd either believe me or she wouldn't.

"He tried to rape me," I said, my voice sounding surprisingly calm even though I was terrified inside.

There was a collective gasp from Edward and his family, and before anyone could comment on my accusation, a flurry of movement to my left caught my eye. My head whipped round to see Edward being held back by Jasper and Emmett.

"You motherfucking bastard! I'm gonna fucking kill you!" he roared, trying in vain to escape their hold on him.

"She wanted it," Felix sneered, as he walked toward Edward, taunting him. "She practically begged me to touch her. She couldn't wait to have a real man fu-"

I couldn't stand to hear his voice spewing lies about be any longer; in a flash I was between the two of them, almost stumbling since I wasn't used to moving that fast. I turned to face Felix and squared my shoulders.

"Liar," I spat at him. "You pushed me up against the side of the cottage, forced my hands above my head and thrust yourself against me." I heard the hisses and snarls from behind me, but kept my eyes on Felix. His face was full of hate as he continued to leer at me.

"Is this true?" Jane asked, turning her steely glare on Felix. She looked from him to me and back again, her gaze boring into us as though she could gouge the truth out.

"Of course it's not fucking true; she's just trying to save face in front of her boyfriend." He motioned over to Edward with his hand but held my stare the whole time. I refused to look away, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of seeing how nervous I was. "Bitch was all over me."

I opened my mouth to protest again, but Jane beat me to it.

"Mmmm," she said, tapping her chin with her index finger as if deep in thought. "You see, Felix_, _it's notthe first time you've been accused of something like this, is it?"

"What the fuck do you mean?" he asked, turning his head slightly in her direction. A look of concern flashed across his face, before he managed to mask it again.

"Oh, I know all about your penchant for women who _resist._" She smiled up at him and this time his masked dropped completely and the worry was there for all to see. "Aro turns a blind eye because you're useful, but we're not in Volterra, and out here I'm in charge."

"You don't scare me with your empty threats," he replied, trying to appear like he believed what he said. Unfortunately the look on his face and the slight tremor in his voice said otherwise. "You're just bitter because I never tried anything with you, little girl."

This time it was the other two Volturi guards who gasped. They'd been silent up until now, and judging by the way they were rapidly stepping back from Jane, I guessed he'd really gone and pissed her off this time. She closed her eyes momentarily and I noticed Felix swallow thickly, obviously realizing that he'd just overstepped the mark. I watched with rapt attention as her eyes opened and she fixed him with her sickly sweet smile.

The effect was instantaneous and he dropped to the floor, writhing around in obvious agony.

"Don't you _ever _talk to me like that," she hissed at him, while he continued to moan and squirm. "I want your filthy hands nowhere near me, you pathetic excuse for a male." She let him suffer for a few more moments before snapping her gaze over to me and effectively ending his torture. He lay on the ground for a few seconds more, before finally getting up and standing behind Jane, with his head hanging down.

"I will accept your reasons for the fight, it would seem Felix was deserving of everything he got and more."

_Oh thank God! _

My shoulders sagged with relief as her words sunk in.

"However," she continued.

_Fuck. I should have known it was too good to be true_.

"We still have _this_ little problem," she said, gesturing at Paul's body. With everything that had just happened I'd totally forgotten about him.

_Shit._

I frantically searched for the right words to explain why he was here and dead, without revealing the truth about the rest of the wolf pack. Thankfully it was Carlisle that came to my rescue.

"He's a shapeshifter," he said carefully. "He was the one who attacked Alice." Jane raised her eyebrow at this piece of information, but didn't interrupt. "We've had a lot of trouble from him. He must have tracked Bella and attacked when he realized she was on her own."

"Unfortunately for him," she mused, kicking his lifeless body with her foot. "Was he on his own?"

I wondered what answer Carlisle would give. Technically he was no longer part of Jacob's pack, so he wouldn't be lying if he answered 'yes'.

"Yes," he replied, obviously thinking along the same lines as me. "He was on his own."

She looked at the dead body long and hard, before pulling her cloak tightly around her and looking back up at me.

"Well, Bella." When she spoke to me this time, her voice was considerably softer. "It would seem yet another male got on the wrong side of you, and paid for it with his life this time. As long as his death isn't traced back to you, I consider the matter closed. I assume, Carlisle, that you will dispose of the body?"

"Of course."

"Unlike Alice, Bella, since you weren't changed by the Cullens you are not their responsibility."

I looked over at Edward and Alice then back to Jane. What did she mean, not their responsibility? Could I not stay here? Where would I go? I started to panic. Even though things with Edward were uncertain, the thought of having to leave made me tremble with dread.

"Wh...what does that mean, exactly?" I asked, trying to hold it together when I really wanted to run and hide behind the Cullens and beg them to let me stay.

"It means, Bella, that you have a choice," she replied, looking over at Edward as she spoke. I followed her gaze and was shocked at the look of worry on his face. Before I could ponder why he looked so worried, Jane continued speaking. "You can either stay here, if the Cullens agree to take responsibility for you, or-"

"Of course we fucking will," Edward interrupted. I flinched as her eyes shot to him, anger flashing across her features. "Sorry," he eventually mumbled and she narrowed her eyes slightly before addressing me.

"_Or_, you can come back to Volterra with us. The decision is yours, what will it be?"

-oxo-

**EPOV**

When we reached the cabin and I saw Bella, Felix and Paul's dead body, my mind swam with possibilities of what could have happened. What was Paul even doing here and who the fuck had killed him?

"Bella? Oh my God, Bella are you ok?" I quickly scanned her body from head to toe, making sure she was unharmed and trying to ignore the stirring below my waist because she was glorious. Her hair was a thick, mahogany wave cascading down her back, and her pale, flawless skin shone even in the dim light of the forest. I swallowed thickly and forced myself to get my mind back on checking for injuries. Apart from a gash on her thigh, which seemed to be healing, she appeared unharmed.

"Well, I assume you must be Bella," I heard Jane say and I immediately tensed. She was unpredictable to say the least and she was still blocking her thoughts from me. All I could get were thoughts of going back to Voterra and her hoping this wouldn't take long. Not helpful in the slightest. "Do you have a good reason for fighting with one of the Volturi Guard? Or should I just let Felix destroy you now?"

_Fuck_

I looked over at Felix. He was licking his lips and unfortunately his thoughts were very fucking clear. They switched between ripping her to pieces and ripping her clothes off and shoving her up against the wall. I wanted to kill him, my fists clenched and I moved slightly in his direction, but Alice grabbed my wrist and shook her head. Reluctantly I stepped back, trusting that she must have a good reason for stopping me.

"And who, or should I say what, is that dead, funny smelling human with your scent all over it?" Jane added, looking down at Paul and wrinkling her nose. If Bella's scent was on him, that must mean that she killed him. A feeling of pride swept through me as I realized that my girl had taken out that motherfucker. I would have given anything to have seen it happen, but now we had the added problem of explaining what he was without exposing the wolf pack. As much as I disliked Jacob, I wouldn't wish the Volturi on him or the rest of his pack.

Bella remained silent, looking a little stunned and confused. I called her name, wanting to comfort her, but not provoke Jane in any way.

"Bella?"

Her eyes met mine and I could see the hurt in her expression. Suddenly I didn't give a fuck about Jane.

"Bella, I'm so sorry I left. I'm sorry that you had to wake up all alone and I-"

Before I could say anymore, Jane interrupted me and by the look on her face I was lucky not to be screaming in pain. I quickly shut up and attempted to hold my tongue.

There was a tense silence as we all waited for Bella to speak, but when she did I wasn't prepared for the words that came out of her mouth.

He. Tried. To. Rape. Her.

Rage bubbled up inside me and I wanted to scream. His thoughts were loud and clear as they played out what had happened between him and Bella. How he pinned her against the wall and thrust himself against her, trying to kiss her. I was going to kill him, tear him apart piece by piece. How dare he lay even one fucking finger on her?

_Motherfucker._

Before I could make my move, Alice hissed a warning to Emmett and Jasper and they were on me. No matter how much I struggled I couldn't get out of their hold. I really hated Alice at that moment.

As Bella told her story, the guilt I'd felt about leaving her unprotected grew exponentially. I'd known it was a bad idea. I should have insisted that I stay, or if not me then one of the others. If I had then this wouldn't have happened, she wouldn't have had to face Felix on her own and he wouldn't have been able to touch her. If we hadn't turned up when we did...

_Fuck._

I couldn't even go there.

Things took an interesting turn from then on; apparently Felix had done this before and when Jane accused him of it, he opened his stupid fucking mouth and got exactly what he deserved. He should have known not to piss her off, but I was so fucking glad that he had. I watched as he moaned in pain, arms wrapped round his stomach, and wished that she'd just end him already. I knew that wasn't going to happen though; he was a Volturi guard and Aro needed him. It was no great surprise when Jane released him.

She accepted that Bella had been telling the truth, and although Bella visibly relaxed at the news, I knew we still had the _Paul_ issue to deal with. We weren't out of the woods yet.

Thankfully Carlisle stepped in and explained that he was a _shapeshifter_ and that he was on his own. Which I guess was now true; since Jacob had become Alpha, Paul was no longer a member of the wolf pack. I doubted Jake even knew where he was, and I made a mental note to inform him about Paul later, assuming everything went smoothly with the Volturi.

Jane seemed happy with Carlisle's explanation and once he'd assured her that he'd take care of the body she turned to Bella. I expected her to give the speech about staying away from humans and not exposing our secret blah, blah, blah. I was not expecting her to bring up the one thing that we'd overlooked.

"Unlike Alice, Bella, since you weren't changed by the Cullens you are not their responsibility."

_Fucking hell!_

I'd totally forgotten about that. With James changing her and not one of us, we didn't automatically have to accept responsibility for her.

"You can either stay here, if the Cullens agree to take responsibility for you, or-"

I knew what the alternative was and there was absolutely no fucking way they were taking her away from me now.

"Of course we fucking will," I interrupted, not caring if I pissed her off or not. She whipped her head round to glare at me again, but I just held her gaze until Alice kicked me and I eventually muttered 'sorry'. With a last scowl in my directions she faced Bella again and offered her the other choice.

"_Or_, you can come back to Volterra with us. The decision is yours, what will it be?"

_Silence._

_Deafening Silence._

All eyes were on Bella as we waited for her decision. I would have thought it was an easy one to make, but by the look on her face, it looked like she was actually considering her options.

"Bella?" I said softly. "You can't go to Volterra, you belong here with us, with me. I love you."

Her eyes snapped to mine and I saw the same flash of hurt that I'd noticed before.

"Do you really, Edward?" she spat, anger now joining the hurt.

"Yes, of course I fucking do. Please, Bella."

I had no idea what she was implying. I loved her and wanted nothing more than to spend the rest of existence with her by my side. She had to know that.

"Even though James' was the one to change me?" Her eyes bore into mine as she spoke. "Do you still love me after that?"

_Oh, fuck!_

_Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!_

She must have heard me in the cabin when I said those stupid fucking words to Alice. I needed to fix this and fast.

"I...I..." she was looking at me expectantly, one eyebrow raised, but I couldn't seem to find the right words. "Fuck, Bella. I didn't mean it, any of it. I swear."

"Then why did you say it?"

"Because I'm an idiot." I caught Alice rolling her eyes at me, her thoughts loud and clear.

_Really Edward? Is that all you've got? At this rate she'll be begging them to take her to Volterra!_

"Look, Bella." Alice cut in. "You're my very best friend and I love you. Please stay."

I watched Bella, as she considered her answer and prayed that if she didn't want to stay for me because of my stupid insecurities, then at least she'd stay for Alice.

"As much as I would love to watch this soap opera play out, I want to get back home," Jane drawled in a rather bored voice. "What's your decision Bella?"

Bella's gaze flicked briefly to me before settling on Alice, a small smile appearing on her lips.

"I'd like to stay."

Thank fuck for that!

"Finally," Jane sighed, and nodded to the other members of the guard. "We'll be keeping an eye on the situation here. I assume there will no more _additions _to your group?"

"No," Carlisle answered her.

"Very, well. We'll find our own way back."

With that parting remark, she and the rest of the guard disappeared through the trees towards our house and their car. We all waited until we could no longer hear their movements before everyone relaxed.

"Are they really gone?" Bella's asked, sounding a little uncertain.

"Yes, they're really gone," I replied, grinning and walking towards her.

I reached out to touch her, wanting nothing more than to hold her in my arms. It had seemed like forever since we'd last been together in my bedroom. But when my fingers brushed her arm, she flinched and stepped back.

"Bella?" I couldn't keep the hurt out of my voice.

"I'm sorry. I just...I can't."

Alice moved swiftly to her side and carefully slipped her arm around Bella's waist.

"Hey," she whispered, but we all still heard her. I guessed old habits died hard. "I think we need to talk."

Bella nodded her head, but before Alice could lead her away, Rosalie surprised everyone by asking Bella a question.

"How did Felix end up so far away from you?"

"W...what?" she replied, a little confused.

"You said he pinned you up against the wall, but when we got here he was over by that tree," she said, pointing over to the left.

"Oh. I'm not sure exactly what happened. One minute he was on me, the next my vision blurred, everything turned red and Felix was flying backwards towards the trees."

_What the fuck?_

I shared a look with Carlisle, who just shrugged his shoulders. Clearly Bella had developed a talent of her own.

"Thank God you all arrived when you did because I had nothing left in me. I felt drained and really weak. I didn't think vampires got tired though?" Her last sentence sounded more like a question.

"They don't," I replied, trying not to feel rejected when she barely looked my way. "It's because you're thirsty."

"Thirsty?" she asked. This time when her eyes met mine, she didn't turn away. "Yes. You haven't fed since you woke up, have you? You must be ravenous by now."

Her hands immediately clutched at her throat as if she was only then feeling the burn.

"I tried to feed from Paul, but he tasted disgusting." She shivered at the memory.

"I'll bet!" Emmett said, laughing. "Eating dog, sucks!"

"You need to hunt. I can-"

"I'll take her." Alice cut me off before I even had the chance to offer. Narrowing my eyes at her, I made sure she knew how pissed off I was.

_Trust me Edward, I've got this. Bella and I need to talk, girl to girl. She just needs time and to hear the truth from someone she'll believe, and at the minute that isn't you._

I nodded my head slightly to show I'd heard her.

"There needs to be at least two of you with her, Alice. Just in case you run into any _unexpected guests._" The last thing we needed was for Bella to accidentally eat a couple of hikers. That would bring the Volturi straight back here and I doubt they'd be very impressed.

"I'll go," Rose said, shocking me for the second time today.

"You?" I asked, cocking my eyebrow at her in disbelief. Why did she want to spend time with Bella all of a sudden?

"Yes, me. Bella is surprisingly interesting as a vampire." Wow. Coming from Rose that was almost a compliment. "Besides, any girl that can put Felix in his place is ok by me."

_Girls are so strange._

"Fine," I reluctantly agreed. "Just be careful and look after her."

All three of them rolled their eyes at me before darting off into the forest.

"Come on, E," Jasper said, squeezing my shoulder slightly. "Alice will talk her round. Don't worry."

But as the rest of us headed back to the house, I couldn't help but worry. The look on her face as she threw my words back at me would haunt me for a long time. I had to trust that whatever _talk_ Alice had planned, would convince Bella that I loved her and that I wanted to spend the rest of eternity with her, despite what she'd heard.

I wish I could take back what I'd said, that she'd never had to hear me doubt our relationship, but what was done, was done. Nothing could change that. I just hoped that she'd be able to forgive me.

**a/n So the Volturi are gone. Yay! A little hunting with the girls next...**

**Rec**

**If you're not reading this, then you're missing out. Give it a go, it's a little different from the norm, but totally worth reading.**

**Isle ESME 2412 by Bower-of-Bliss**

**http:/www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/s/6856090/1/**


	24. Forgiveness

**a/n Thank you for sticking with me, I know it's been a while since I updated. Big hugs to TwiWeasel for her_ encouragement_ to get this written and to GemmaH for pre-reading it at very short notice. As always, thanks to Tigerlilylace for her super-speedy beta skills. **

**It looks like we only have one, maybe two chapters left after this.**

**Disclaimer: SM owns everything Twilight related.**

**So, where did we leave those girls...**

**Forgiveness**

**BPOV**

As I followed Alice and Rose further into the trees, I couldn't help but wonder if I was doing the right thing. I wasn't naive, I knew that I need to hunt in order to survive now, but maybe I should have let Edward take me? Things weren't great between us and I didn't particularly trust him at the minute, but we needed to talk. I needed to know where things stood with us.

As hurt as I was by what he'd said, I still hated to see the defeated and lost look on his face as he'd walked away. I glanced briefly over my shoulder, debating if I would be able to catch up to him if I turned and ran, and what I'd say if I did.

"Oh no you don't, Missy!" Alice said as she turned round to glare at me.

"What?" I asked, feigning innocence. Her new ability really was a pain in the ass sometimes.

"You need to know everything before you talk to Edward again."

"You mean there's more?" I asked incredulously. The few words I'd overheard had been bad enough, I wasn't sure I could cope with hearing more.

Both her and Rosalie stopped walking and spun round to face me. My fists clenched tightly by my sides as I prepared myself for what she had to say.

"Way to go, Alice." Rosalie huffed and rolled her eyes. "Look how worried you've made her." She looked over at me and her face softened ever so slightly. "It's nothing _bad_ this time."

My eyes immediately focused on Alice as I waited impatiently for her to speak.

"Look, Bella," she said walking towards me and stroking my arm. "I know what he said was fucking hurtful, and believe me I wanted to kick his ass for it, but I truly believe it was a stupid mistake he made in the heat of the moment. We found you all cut up and saw that James had bitten you..." Her voiced trailed off as she shuddered at the memory. "Edward was so very mad, but he was also hurt. He'd wanted to be the one to change you, if you'd ever decided to join us. Not anyone else, and certainly not James."

My memories of James and the cabin were not something I wanted to revisit, but images flashed in my mind despite my attempts to stop them. I felt my anger stir again as I remembered his teeth piercing my skin, over and over. I could understand how Edward would have felt seeing that, but the fact remained that he'd meant what he'd said at the time and although he said he didn't feel that way now, I wasn't sure I believed him. I needed something more.

"How do you know that he doesn't feel that way now?" I asked.

"Because I heard him talking to you when you were lying in that bed at the cottage, Bella. The things he said and the way he said them...I just wish you could have heard those words instead of the ones at the cabin.

"Tell me."

I bit my lip in anticipation, dying to know what he'd said and praying that it would be enough for me.

"He looked at you with such adoration, and told me that you were all he cared about. He said he loved you and that when you woke up, he was going to show you just how fucking much."

My cold, dead heart seem to warm in my chest as I listened to Alice repeat his words. I probably shouldn't forgive him so easily and I was almost certain things might still be a little strained when we saw each other again, but _fuck it!_ I wanted to see him, _now_.

Alice and Rose grabbed my arms before I could move, effectively pinning me to the spot. A growl bubbled unbidden from my chest and I struggled against their hold.

"You need to hunt first, Bella. Then you can go to him." Rose said, pulling on my arm so that I turned to face the other way, and started walking me forward.

"How did you know?" I asked her, wondering if I'd said anything out loud.

"Because it's what I would want to do." She grinned and gave me a pointed look. "Now are you going to come willingly, or do Alice and I have to force feed you?"

"The sooner you hunt, the sooner you can get back to Edward." Alice added.

I sighed, but stopped fighting them. The burn was getting worse and I knew they were right. I needed to feed before going anywhere. Besides, I had no doubt whatsoever that Rose would follow through with her threat and I shuddered to think what _that_ would involve.

"Yeah, ok." I said, smiling a little over at Rose.

"Great! Let's do this." she replied and set off at a run.

"You sound more like Emmett everyday!" Alice laughed and sidestepped Rose as she doubled back and swiped at her. "Come on, Bella."

We ran fast through the trees and the feeling was exhilarating. For the first time in what seemed forever I felt free. No worries, no fears. Just free.

-oxo-

"Um, I don't know how to...you know..." I whispered, careful not to disturb the animals drinking by the waters edge.

We'd eventually come to a stop and were crouched behind a scattering of large rocks overlooking a river. A group of five deer were busy drinking, blissfully unaware of our presence as we prepared to attack. I was incredibly nervous, having no idea what to do and not wanting to make a fool of myself or do it wrong.

"Use your instincts, Bella." Alice whispered back, "It'll come to you, trust me."

"I'm not sure I can...I..." My throat was on fire now that were so close. I could hear the blood pumping through their bodies and venom flooded my mouth in preparation. Despite all this, I was still hesitant.

"Why don't you watch Rose first and see how its done, then you can try?" Alice offered and I readily agreed, settling back slightly as Rose crept from behind the rock and launched herself in the air.

I watched, mesmerized, as her graceful form soared through the air and landed securely on the back of the largest deer causing the others to scatter. Her strong arms wrapped around it's throat with her legs pinning it to the ground, immobilizing it before it had chance to struggle. Her teeth sank effortlessly into the deer's neck and I could see her throat move as she swallowed pull after pull of hot, thick blood. She lifted her head and looked over at us, a trickle of blood ran down her chin and when her tongue flicked out to catch it, I gasped. I found the whole thing strangely erotic and if I'd still been human my cheeks would've been red with embarrassment.

Rose finished feeding and threw the carcass to one side before sauntering back over to us. I was unable to look away, my mind replaying what I'd just witnessed. I felt arousal stirring in my belly and a soft sigh escaped me. I quickly snapped my eyes away, horrified at my actions.

To make matters worse, both Rose and Alice burst out laughing.

"Oh God!" I whispered, unable to look at either of them.

"It's ok, Bella. As a newborn your emotions are heightened and pretty much all over the place at the minute. It'll pass." Rose grinned and nudged my shoulder, none to gently. "Wait 'til I tell Emmett, he'll be gutted to have missed this." She and Alice began laughing again, but my focus drifted away from them as my mind registered a new scent.

I inhaled deeply, the smell was different from the deers and so much more appealing. I scanned the area, looking for the source.

"Over in the trees, to the left." Alice whispered from beside me. I was so focused on locating the new scent, I hadn't noticed Rose and Alice move. "It's a mountain lion Bella. Go get it."

-oxo-

"Wow."

I'd been vaguely aware that Rose and Alice had followed when I went after the mountain lion. They'd hung back and watched as I'd wrestled it to the floor and eagerly sank my teeth into it's neck. The taste was so much better than when I'd tried to drink from Paul and I greedily sucked the animal dry.

Wiping my mouth on the back of my hand, I stood up and looked over at the two of them. They were both staring at me, a hint of amusement on their lips.

"What's so funny?" I asked, a little annoyed that they were laughing at my first time.

"Um..." Alice gestured at my clothing with a wave of her hand.

I looked down and groaned. Whereas Rosalie hadn't spilled a drop of blood on her when she'd hunted, I was covered. My clothes were slightly torn where claws and teeth had made contact and blood had dripped down my chin, spilling onto my neck and chest.

"Fuck." I cursed, looking up at Alice for help. Her gaze was unfocused however; she was having another vision.

"We need to get her cleaned up before heading back." Rosalie said, walking back towards the river.

"No."Alice's voice stopped her in her tracks and Rosalie turned raising an eyebrow. Alice just smirked and winked. "We need to head back right now." She whipped her phone out, typed a quick text and snapped it shut. "Come on!" With that all three of raced back to the Cullen house.

My body was still buzzing with excitement from my recent kill, and the thought of seeing Edward again amplified that feeling. I just hoped I didn't do anything inappropriate in front of his family.

-oxo-

In no time at all, I could see the house through the trees and we slowed down before coming to a stop in the front yard. The door opened and Edward walked out. He paused on the steps, inhaling sharply and clenching his fists.

"I think that's our cue." Alice said, grinning at me and dragging Rosalie back in to the woods.

I watched as they disappeared, wanting to ask what the hell was going on, but sudden movement on the steps caught my attention. Edward was now standing in front of me, his eyes darker than I had ever seen them. I could sense his desire and my fingers itched to touch him, but I held my ground.

"Edward?"

"I see you fed."

His eyes dropped down to my chest and he slowly licked his lips. I glanced down at the still wet blood all over my skin and swiped a finger through one of the drops to stop it going any further.

"Um...yeah. I guess I need a little more practice." I shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot, embarrassed at the mess I'd made of my first hunt. "I should probably go inside and clean up." I moved to step around him but he reached out and wrapped his fingers around my wrist, stopping me.

"No," he whispered softly against my ear.

Turning me slightly, he slowly pulled my blood covered finger to his lips. I could have stopped him, I was probably stronger than him now, but I felt powerless to move as my eyes followed the movement of my hand. His tongue darted out and licked the end of my finger, his eyes remaining locked with mine as he gently drew it into his mouth and sucked. Hard.

_Oh my God._

Before my change I would almost certainly have found this disgusting, but watching Edward do that was one of the most erotic things I'd ever seen or felt. My eyes fluttered closed and I didn't try to stop the moan that escaped me. He slipped my finger from his mouth and stepped closer, dipping his head and licking along my neck, presumably lapping at the blood there too.

"I know we need to talk," he said, nipping at my skin. "You're probably still mad at me, and I don't blame you." He moved along my collarbone, still sucking and teasing his way. "But if you want me to stop, you're going to have to walk away, because I can't..."

His tongue swept lower, dangerously close to the swell of my breasts and when his hips brushed against me, I felt him hard against my stomach. Desire shot through my veins and his head snapped up, a deep growl filling the air around us.

"Bella..." His voice was strained and his eyes, now pitch black, pleaded with mine.

In that moment it didn't matter that he'd had a second of doubt about us. I knew from the look in his eyes and from the way he touched me that he loved me and right now I needed him to show me. So much had happened in the last few days, my life had been turned upside down and ended at the hands of a madman. My new body was strange, my emotions all over the place, I needed something familiar to ground me. I needed Edward.

I placed my hands either side of his face and drew him towards me.

"I forgive you." I whispered against his lips, before finally pressing against him and kissing him like I wanted.

As soon as our mouths touched, he wrapped his strong arms around me and lifted me up, my legs instantly sliding round his waist. I writhed against him, trying to get impossibly closer as he deepened the kiss. My thighs tightened against his hips as I rubbed my self against the bulge in his jeans.

"Too tight." he said, breaking the kiss and wincing slightly.

"Oh, sorry." I giggled, but released my grip on him. I needed to remember how strong I was if I didn't want to hurt him.

"It's ok." he smiled, "I just like my bones in one piece."

I opened my mouth to respond, but before I could get the words out I was slammed against a tree, his mouth on mine, effectively silencing me. Hands roamed over my body tearing at my bloodied clothes and ripping them from my body.

_Now it was my turn._

I pushed him backwards, telling him he had far too many clothes on before reaching out and grabbing hold of his jeans. The material separated like tissue paper in my hands, I grinned at my new found strength and tossed them to the side.

"I liked those jeans," he said, raising an eyebrow at me.

"Oops. Sorry," I replied, although we both knew I wasn't. "What about the shirt?"

"Not so much."

"Good."

I made quick work of his shirt and boxers, until we were both standing there naked, drinking in the sight as if it was the first time we'd seen each other. It might as well have been for me, because with my new vampire eyes, Edward was glorious. My gaze traveled over every delicious inch of him, heat searing through my veins as I lingered over his straining cock, standing proud against his stomach.

I licked my lips and lunged at him, kissing him roughly with such force that I knocked him to the ground. We fell in a jumble of limbs, laughing and kissing until he flipped us over with me now on my back,

"I'm so sorry I hurt you, Bella."

"Sshh..." I placed my fingers on his lips to quieten him, before slipping my hand lower and resting it on his chest.

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

He leaned down and captured my lips, the kiss slow and gentle this time. His hands slipped under my shoulders as he clutched me too him. Shifting his weight slightly, I felt him, hard against my thigh. "I want you so much," he mumbled as his mouth now nipped and sucked at my neck.

"Show me." I breathed, spreading my legs further and encouraging him to settle between them.

With one quick thrust he did just that. I moaned out loud at the feeling, my legs up round his waist as I took him deeper inside me. No longer having to hold himself back for fear of hurting me, he hands gripped me tight as he slammed into me again and again.

I felt him tense and knew neither one of us would last much longer. I threw my head back as pleasure snaked its way through my body, his breath hot on my neck . This was how my change should have happened and it should have been Edward who'd done it. Instinctively, I knew what I wanted; what we both _needed_ to happen.

"Bite me."

I felt him pause for a fraction of a second as he registered what I'd said. With a muttered curse, he pulled back and thrust into me harder and faster. I grabbed onto his shoulders as my orgasm crashed through me and screamed as he sank his teeth into my neck, his body stilling and trembling as he came inside me.

-oxo-

We lay there, still wrapped around each other. My skin throbbed a little where he'd bitten me but I couldn't care less. As he lapped at the wound, sealing it with his venom, I smiled at the thought that I now bore Edward's mark. He nuzzled the tender area, lifting himself up slightly to run a finger over his handiwork.

"You like that, huh?" I said softly as he continued to trace the newly formed scar.

"Yes. Very much."

I reached up and cupped his cheek, loving the way he leaned into my touch. "It should have been you. I wished it had been you." I didn't need to explain, the flash of pain across his face told me that he understood.

"I know." He dipped down to brush his lips ever so gently across mine, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "But I don't care anymore. No matter how you came to be changed, the end result is the same. I get to spend the rest of eternity with you."

I raised an eyebrow at his assumption, trying to bite back a huge smile at the same time.

"If you want me, that is."

It wasn't exactly a proposal, but to be honest the thought of a wedding after everything that had happened, made me shudder. I'd had more than enough excitement for the time being. He was grinning at me, but I could still detect a glimmer of uncertainty in his eyes. I let the smile spread across my face and beamed up at him. "Of course I want you."

The uncertainty vanished with my words and the kiss that followed was tender and loving as we clung tightly to each other. Finally, I was back where I belonged.

"As much as I'd love to go for round two," he shifted against me, demonstrating just how ready he was. "The others will be back any minute."

"Oh God!" I whisper yelled as it dawned on me that we were naked, on the ground, in front of his family home, and I was still covered in animal blood.

"Come on," he said jumping up and pulling me to my feet. "Let's go shower."

I followed him into the house and up stairs to his bathroom, shamelessly ogling his ass the entire way. He reached in to start the shower and turned back towards me, letting his heated gaze wander lazily over my body. I squealed as he quickly stepped in and pulled me with him, backing me up against the tiled wall.

"Now we'll have round two."

-oxo-

**a/n As always, let me know your thoughts.**


	25. Departure

**a/n Thanks so much for sticking with this story, I know it's been forever since I updated, I had a bit of trouble getting this final chapter out. Huge thanks to GemmaH and Tigerlilyrose for fixing this in record time. I'm so grateful for all the help they've given me with this story.**

**So, this is the final chapter. I hope you enjoy it. **

**Disclaimer – SM owns everything.**

**Departure**

_Previously..._

_I followed him into the house and upstairs to his bathroom, shamelessly ogling his ass the entire way. He reached in to start the shower and turned back towards me, letting his heated gaze wander lazily over my body. I squealed as he quickly stepped in and pulled me with him, backing me up against the tiled wall._

"_Now we'll have round two."_

**EPOV**

Although I didn't technically need a bed, I was happy as fuck that I'd insisted on having one when we moved in. I tossed a towel-clad Bella onto the middle of it and when the towel came undone as she bounced, I decided that it had never looked more inviting.

I stalked towards her with slow measured steps, smiling in satisfaction as she watched me closely, her teeth sinking into her bottom lip and her eyes focused on _my_ towel. Or rather what was _underneath_ my towel and trying desperately to get out.

"Bella," I said to get her attention. Her eyes snapped to mine and she grinned. I looked pointedly down at my crotch then back at her, raising my eyebrow.

"Something funny?"

"No, not at all," she replied, smiling wider.

"Well something's amusing you," I said, getting closer to the bed. "And I don't think this is anything to laugh at." I gestured to the obvious bulge under my towel, fixing her with what I hoped was a stern glare.

Her eyes darkened and her fingers clenched around the bed sheets. "I was just wondering what you were hiding under there. It looks so..."

"So...?"

"Big," she said, licking her lips.

I reached the edge of the bed and crawled up it until I was hovering above her, my arms braced either side of her head.

"It is." I leaned down and nipped at her neck. "Have you forgotten already? Maybe you need reminding." Her breath hitched and her back arched ever so slightly as I licked and nibbled her smooth skin.

"Maybe I do," she breathed, slipping a hand between us and slowly pulling my towel undone. Just as her fingers closed around the head of my cock, I heard the irritating thoughts of my family as they neared the house. I rolled my eyes as I listened to their predictable musings.

_I wonder if they did it outside?_

_I hope they didn't break any furniture._

_They totally did it outside._

_I love running behind Rose, her ass is so fucking hot._

_I know you're listening, Edward. I told you it would be ok...And you're welcome._

I smiled as I recognized Alice's thoughts, making a mental note to buy her something expensive as a thank you.

_And shiny and fast, please._

I laughed out loud at that, causing Bella to remove her hand and raise herself up on her elbows, looking up at me accusingly.

"Sorry," I added quickly, leaning down to capture her lips in a soft kiss, and groaning as my still hard cock brushed up against her. "But the rest of them are nearly back. I can hear their thoughts, and they're...amusing."

"I'm sure!" she snorted, flopping back on the pillow and covering her eyes. I dropped down next to her, mirroring her position, both of us hearing the whispered conversation of my family as they entered the house.

"Do you think they're still at it?" Rose's voice filtered up the stairs.

"I fucking hope not. Can't be any good if it's this quiet!" Emmett added, laughing to himself until Esme told him off.

"Leave them alone, and grow up Emmett." We heard a slap and a muffled grunt as Esme hit him, and struggled to keep quiet as we shook with laughter.

_Come down when you're ready, Edward. There are things we still need to discuss._

Carlisle's thoughts sobered me up somewhat and I turned to Bella, hating to have to leave this room, but knowing there was still a lot to be dealt with.

"We need to go downstairs, there are things that need to be discussed."

She rolled onto her side, facing me, and ran a hand down the side of my face, pausing to stroke her thumb across my bottom lip. "I know," she sighed, sliding her hand down onto my chest. "But I don't want to move."

"Me either. But if we don't go down soon, you know they'll send Alice up to get us."

"Yes we will, so put Bella down and hurry the fuck up!" Emmett's booming voice answered back.

Reluctantly, I sat up and pulled her with me.

"Bella?" I spoke her name as a question, simultaneously standing up and drawing her gloriously naked body against my chest. I knew my family could hear us, but I really didn't give a fuck. I had to make sure that everything was now ok between us; we hadn't really done much talking since she'd returned from the forest, and I needed to know that she understood how I felt.

"Yes?" she asked, look up at me, the curiosity plain on her face.

"Before we go down there, I want to tell you again how fucking sorry I am about what I said in the cabin." I didn't need to elaborate. When she closed her eyes and dropped her head onto my chest, I knew she understood what I meant. "I love you, Bella, and I don't want you to ever doubt that again. I'll spend the rest of my existence proving it to you, if that's what it takes."

"I know, Edward. I love you too. Can we try to forget these past few days? Please? I just want to start over."

"Yeah, we can do that," I replied, leaning down to brush my lips across hers, in what I'd meant to be a quick kiss. But Bella had other ideas; her hands fastened around my waist, anchoring me to her as her tongue flicked out and she deepened the kiss. She moaned long and low, grinding her hips against mine and my cock was well on the way to being fully awake again.

"Mmm...Bella?"

I broke the kiss, trying to hold her at arm's length, as she began to lick down the side of my neck. It felt so fucking good, but we had no time for that. Regrettably.

I managed to push her back, laughing at the pout on her perfect lips. "As much as I want to stay up here and continue this, they're waiting. _Impatiently_, I imagine."

"I know, I know," she said, sighing, but thankfully keeping her distance this time.

We quickly got dressed and reluctantly headed downstairs.

-oxo-

We walked into the living room to join the rest of my family and were met first with Alice's beaming face. I knew they'd all heard our exchange upstairs, and I was relieved to know that Alice approved.

"What were you doing all this time? Napping?" Emmett's asked, raising his eyebrow and grinning. "I don't see anything broken so you can't have been fu-"

Thank God Rose's sharp elbow to the ribs cut him off, or I would seriously have punched him for that comment. "Emmett!" she hissed, glaring at him. He just shrugged his shoulders innocently but wisely decided to keep quiet. I glanced over at Bella, who I was sure would've been blushing furiously if she were still human, but surprisingly she just grinned.

"Oh, Emmett," she said, walking over and sitting down next to him on one of the large sofas. "I can assure you that we were definitely fu-"

"Bella!" It was Alice who interrupted this time, her shocked tone making everyone laugh. Emmett grinned broadly, high-fiving Bella and winking at me. I rolled my eyes, but couldn't stop the smile as I watched Bella fit right in with my family. I squirmed a little as I watched her lick her lips, her gaze dropping briefly to my crotch as I wondered if she was thinking about outside or the shower. I felt my cock begin to stir as I thought about how she'd looked after hunting – all dirty and covered in blood.

_Fuck._

"Edward, for fuck's sake!" Jasper groaned, watching me with a pained expression from across the room.

_I can feel the fucking sexual tension from here, man. Please think about something else. Quickly._

"Sorry," I said, giving him my best apologetic look and struggled to think of something less appealing.

"Don't worry, Jasper," Alice whispered in his ear, "I'll take care of that for you, later."

"When you've all quite finished, can we actually get to the reason why we're here?" Carlisle's exasperated voice cut through the room and we all muttered our apologies before settling down and giving him our undivided attention.

I had a pretty good idea what Carlisle wanted to discuss, but I had no idea how Bella was going to take it.

-oxo-

**BPOV**

"We have to leave?" I shrieked, looking around the room. It seemed that I was the only one who appeared surprised at Carlisle's declaration.

"I think it would be for the best. Yes," he answered.

"But why the fuck do we have to go _there_?"

Apparently it was the general consensus that we should all pack up and move to Alaska. The Cullens had _friends_ out there and frequently went to stay with them when they needed to relocate. I was in no hurry to meet yet more vampires and _Alaska_ sounded about as appealing as La Push at the moment.

Edward reached out and took my hand in is, gently stroking his fingers across my palm. I felt a wave of calm wash over me and I glared menacingly at Jasper until he eventually stopped.

"_Sorry,_" he mouthed.

I knew as a newborn vampire, that I was possibly a little highly strung at the moment, but it didn't mean they had to treat me like a child having a tantrum.

"Calm down, Bella. Please," Alice soothed, clearly it was her turn to have a go.

"I am calm!" I shouted, wincing slightly as I heard how shrill my voice sounded. Ok, maybe I was being a little childish, but I still wanted to stick my tongue out at Alice when she smirked at me.

"Look, we can't realistically stay here, now that you're, well...now that you are a vampire. I think people would notice the difference," Carlisle explained patiently, smiling softly at me. I just about managed not to scowl at him. "And they would definitely notice if Alice stayed, since she's supposed to be dead already."

Oh, yeah. I'd forgotten all about that. With everything that had happened, Alice's fake death seemed a lifetime ago, instead of just days.

"There are also the wolves to consider. Our relations with them are strained at best," Esme added, a little wistfully. I think she'd quite enjoyed feeding Seth and Jacob. "Do they know about Paul yet?"

"Yes," Carlisle answered her. "I contacted them earlier and told them where his body was. They should have removed it by now."

"Ok, fine," I spoke up, trying to sound a little more like an adult and less like a whiny child this time. "I understand that we need to leave here, but why do we have to go to Alaska? I mean is there anything to even eat there?"

"Oh, yeah, B. There's plenty to eat, and there'll be hardly any humans, so not much chance of you killing anybody." Emmett grinned, nudging me as he spoke.

What? I wouldn't kill anyone. Would I?

"Thanks, Em. Nicely put," Edward snapped, glaring at Emmett from beside me. The room had fallen quiet and everyone was looking at me a little apologetically. Clearly they all thought I was capable of taking someone else's life, and that alone made me feel very uncomfortable.

"What makes you think I'd hurt anyone, let alone kill them?"

"Bella." Edward pulled on my hand, turning me to face him. "You've yet to smell human blood, so you can't appreciate how all-consuming the need to taste it will be. As a newborn, you haven't had time to learn to resist the pull; the desire to drink, when in the vicinity of humans. We need to take you somewhere with a very small population so that you can learn to control your instincts.

"But what about Alice?" I asked, pointing over to my best friend who was now looking rather sheepish. "She's a newborn too. I know she has some special ability that allowed her to be around me, but does that mean she's ok to be out amongst the general population?"

I didn't want to be the only one who had to be babysat. It hardly seemed fair to me.

"Alice is...different," Carlisle began, and I rolled my eyes in frustration. Of course she was. I glared at her again, but she just grinned at me. "But it would probably be a good idea to keep an eye on her as well, just to be sure. We don't want to take any unnecessary risks with people's lives, do we?"

"Ha!" I shouted, laughing a little when Alice's smile disappeared, to be replaced by a pout. I knew I was being a shitty friend, so I apologized and suggested that we could spend some time together and make up for when I thought she was dead.

"So...if there aren't any more questions, I think we should all start to pack up our belongings. The sooner we leave, the better."

With that, everyone disappeared up the stairs and into their rooms to begin packing, except for Edward and me. I sat there, still a little stunned by the fact that we were leaving Forks. I knew we had to go, and I knew it was silly - he was gone after all -, but I felt like I was leaving Charlie behind. It hurt to think about leaving the place where I'd grown up, knowing I was never coming back.

"Are you ok, Bella?" Edward asked, his voice full of concern.

"Yes, it's just..."

"Charlie?" he finished for me when I couldn't find the words.

"I'm going to miss him so much. And what will I do with his house?" I'd forgotten all about his house! The thought of selling it made me feel sick, I wasn't ready to let go of it just yet. "I don't want to get rid of it, Edward"

"You don't have to, there's no rush."

I sighed, relieved that I wasn't going to have to deal with_ that _just yet.

"Come on," he said, standing up and offering me his hand. "Let's go pack."

-oxo-

I sat on the bed and watched as Edward flew around the room, throwing all his clothes and personal belongings into two large suitcases. All the furniture would be packed up by movers the following week. I didn't really have much of my stuff here, so I'd have to go and get a few things from Charlie's before we left.

"What will Alice and I do about our jobs and our house in Seattle?" I asked suddenly, causing him to pause and look over at me.

"Does Alice have any living relatives?

"No, I think she puts me as her next of kin."

"Then I guess everything of hers will legally go to you, so that shouldn't be a problem. We can get someone in to pack up your apartment, but you'll have to hand your notice in over the phone. I know it's not ideal, but we'll think of some excuse. Don't worry Bella, we can sort all this out when we're settled in Alaska. Carlisle has an excellent lawyer who'll take care of everything.

"Ok."

I guessed there wasn't much for me to worry about as far as the move was concerned. Except...

"Where will we be living when we get to Alaska? I mean will we all be living together?" Edward and I were really just starting out in our relationship and I didn't particularly want to live under the same roof as the rest of his family. There would be little or no privacy and, with the exception of Alice, the thought of them all hearing everything was horrifying.

"No," he replied, laughing at the expression on my face. "We all have separate cabins out there. They're still close together, but not within earshot of each other, if that's what you're worried about."

He threw the shirt he was holding into the case and crawled up next to me on the bed. "I know how loud you can be, Bella." He purred, pushing me back and moving to lay beside me. "I wouldn't want you to be embarrassed."

He dipped his head and kissed my throat, running his tongue along my skin as he nipped and nibbled his way up to my mouth. His hand slid up my thigh, long fingers gliding along until they found the waistband of my jeans. He deftly undid the button and the zipper, but I quickly slapped his hand away before he could go any further.

"Edward," I mumbled against his lips. "They'll hear us."

"So?" he said, his fingers returning to their previous task. I gasped as they reached their goal and slipped inside my panties. "If you listen carefully, you'll find everyone else is doing the same."

"Really?" I asked, trying not to imagine any of them at it, but curious all the same.

"Yes, really."

His fingers were now stroking delicious circles along my slick skin, and although I could now definitely hear that the other couples were indeed doing the same, when two of his fingers slipped inside me, I forgot all about anything else.

He kissed me then, long and hard, and I writhed under his expert touch. I reached out to undo his jeans, impatient to get my hands on him. It was awkward with his hand down my pants, and we ended up laughing as I fumbled with his clothes.

"Just get them off!" I whisper-yelled, wanting him naked already.

He shot off the bed and I laughed some more as he ripped his shirt in his haste to get naked. I quickly followed suit and squealed when he jumped back onto the bed and landed on me.

"They'll definitely have heard that," he said looking down at me and grinning. "Let's see what other noises you can make."

We spent the next hour doing just that. It turned out I was full of surprises.

-oxo-

Finally, we were all ready to leave. We stood around saying our goodbyes since we were travelling in separate cars. I hugged Alice tightly, promising to come straight to her cabin as soon as we got to the Cullen's place in Alaska.

As everyone began to pair off into their respective cars, I wrapped my arms around Edward and watched them leave, one by one. We still had to go to Charlie's house before we left. I needed to pack the things I wanted to take with me, and I wasn't looking forward to it at all.

"Come on, then," I said, sighing and tossing Edward the keys. "Let's get this over with."

-oxo-

"Goodbye Dad," I whispered, locking the door of the house where I grew up. I ran my fingers over the smooth wood of the new front door, stepping back a little so I could see it all. I had so many good memories of living there, but they were now tainted with recent events. The shiny new door in front of me being a stark reminder. Although I couldn't bear to part with it just yet, there was no warmth left now.

My things were now all safely stored away in the trunk of Edward's car, ready to go. I heard him come up and stand behind me, pulling me gently back against his chest. His arms wrapped around my waist, as he placed a soft kiss on the side of my neck, making me shiver.

"It's time to go," he said, turning me slightly towards the car.

"I know."

I looked back one last time, before opening the car door and getting in.

"Ready?" he asked, leaning over to give me a soft kiss.

"Yes," I said, smiling at him. And I was. Charlie's death had left an ache in my chest that would never go away, but Edward's love helped dull that ache. It was time to leave the past behind and start my new life.

With Edward.

_Forever._

-oxo-

**a/n. There we have it. *sniff* **

**I'm planning on writing a short epilogue, because obviously we need to see how they *ahem* get on at the cabin!**

**As always, let me know your thoughts.**


	26. Epilogue

**a/n Thank you so much to everyone who has stuck with me and read and reviewed this story. Also huge thanks to Tigerlilylace for beta'ing this and to GemmaH for all her help and encouragement. This is the final chapter, I hope you enjoy it.**

**Disclaimer: I still own nothing Twilight related, unfortunately.**

**Epilogue**

**BPOV**

"I'm going out to hunt with Jasper, I'll see you later." Edward grinned as he opened the front door to our cabin.

"I'll be right here waiting for you." I said, winking at him, playfully.

He stalked back across the room towards me, his eyes dark and full of intent. I let him back me up against the wall, his hips pinning me in place as his hands came up to cup my face. "You' better be, Bella." he whispered, lips ghosting over my mine as he spoke. "I have something for you." He rolled his hips and I moaned as his hard length pressed into my belly.

Before I could respond he was out the door and gone, leaving me leaning against the wall, more than a little dazed. We'd been here for a year to the day, and he still had that effect on me.

To say the last year had been _interesting_ would be an understatement. Our arrival at the vast Denali' estate had been extremely welcome; well everyone else's had, mine not so much. It seemed Tanya had a soft spot for Edward and she seemed to have thought he reciprocated her feelings. After I'd politely explained that Edward and I were together, I'd assumed -wrongly it turns out- that she'd stop, but it only served to encourage her advances.

After I told her he was mine and that she needed to back-the-fuck off or I'd separate her head from her body, she appeared to get the message. I may have hit her a little; well a lot; before Edward and a very amused Emmett, managed to pull me off.

Carlisle had explained that I was a newborn and my emotions were all still very over-powering. After I'd calmed down, I grudgingly apologized through gritted teeth. Rose and Esme hauled me off to my cabin with disapproving looks, but high-fived me as soon as we got out of earshot. When I questioned Alice later about why she hadn't seen this coming and stopped it, she'd grinned and said. "Oh I saw it, Bella." Then just winked at me and nothing else was mentioned.

Tanya never went near Edward, or me, after that.

But that was months ago, and I liked to think we'd come a long way since then. I still caught her looking at him now and again, and judging by the way Edward rolled his eyes in her presence, I guessed she still had inappropriate thoughts about him. But I trusted him completely and just ignored her. Edward loved me and that was all that mattered.

Rose and Emmett had enrolled in the local high school, much to Edward and Jasper's delight. Since both Carlisle and Esme were busy with work at the local hospital, they'd all agreed that Alice and I would need supervision for the first year or two and Edward and Jasper were the obvious choices for that particular task.

For the most part our days revolved around running, hunting and learning to control my vampire urges. Edward also taught me how to hunt without getting messy; it took us many, many attempts to get that right. He could never resist me when I was all _torn clothes_ and _blood spattered_, so I had been more than a little reluctant to learn.

-oxo-

After a year I was able to withstand the temptation of human blood without much effort, so Edward and Jasper often went off hunting and doing whatever else boys do together. With today being a school/work day, everyone else was out, so I after I'd read for a little while I went off in search of Alice; who would undoubtedly know I was coming by now.

"Hi, Bella." Alice greeted me, opening the door to hers and Jasper's cabin before I even had chance to knock. "I've been expecting you."

"Of course you have." I said, rolling my eyes. Just once I'd like to surprise her.

"Don't be like that, Bella," she laughed, stepping aside and ushering me in. "Besides, you'll be thanking me in a minute."

"For what, exactly," I asked, warily. Alice had a mischievous look about her. She looked... _naughty_.

I followed her through the living room to the large deck at the back of her property. The view was amazing, and since the cold didn't bother us anymore, we happily settled into the two huge Adirondack chairs she'd bought recently. We didn't need to sit, but Alice had insisted on getting them, saying it was entirely necessary for our 'girlie chats'. I wholeheartedly agreed and had a matching pair back at mine and Edward's cabin.

"Well?" I prompted when she didn't answer me.

"Oh, sorry." She grinned again and I was beginning to get a little worried. She looked up to no good and with Alice that could only mean trouble for me. "Well, they tried hard to hide it, and I only got a flash...only a few seconds worth really, but it was enough to see-

"For God's sake, Alice!" I hissed, wanting her to just spit it out already. I was impatient to know what she'd seen and I was sure knew it which was why she was dragging it out so much.

"You know what today is, don't you?" she asked, raising one of her delicately shaped eyebrows.

"Tuesday?" I offered, knowing full well what she was referring to. I was being a little petulant, but I couldn't help myself.

"Funny." she deadpanned. "I was referring to the fact that it's been exactly one year since we arrived in this warm and welcoming place."

I laughed out loud at that; Alice and I often joked that our reception had been colder than the weather. It hadn't just been me who'd had a bit of trouble with Tanya. Alice nudged me none-to-gently in the ribs.

"Can you remember when she tried to get Jasper to go hunting with her?" Alice asked, still laughing as she no undoubtedly pictured Tanya's face.

"Like I would ever forget." It had been one of the highlights of our first few months. Once Tanya realized Edward was off limits, she turned her attentions to Jasper. Maybe she thought that Alice wouldn't be as volatile as me, since she seemed to have more control over her emotions. Besides, anyone could see that Jasper was in love with her.

Either Tanya didn't see it or she didn't care. While Alice and I had been doing a few renovations to my cabin, Tanya was up at the main house, -where she lived with her sisters Irina and Kate- trying to persuade Jasper to take her hunting. Apparently she had no-one to go with and didn't want to go on her own, and Jasper being the southern gentleman he was, eventually agreed to go with her.

Alice and I had been happily putting up my new curtains, when she suddenly screamed, "That bitch!" and flew out of the room. I later found out that Tanya had planned to rip her own clothes, spill a little blood and try to seduce Jasper as he hunted. She knew damn well his instincts would be heightened and he wouldn't be thinking as clearly as he otherwise would. I imagined she thought it was her only chance, she may have been a little desperate by then.

I had no doubt that Jasper would have easily resisted Tanya's attempts, but Alice didn't want him anywhere near her. She caught him just as he split off from Tanya to chase down a large dear, and the pair weren't seen again for the rest of the day.

According to Rose, a very pissed off Tanya appeared about two hours after going hunting, looking a bit of a mess. She'd blamed it on a couple of large mountain lions and disappeared up to her bedroom. Rose and I laughed for a good long while when she'd come to tell me about it afterward. Thankfully Tanya never made a move on Emmett, even she had the good sense not to cross Rose.

As our laughter died down, I remembered that Alice still hadn't told me what she'd seen earlier.

"Stop distracting me, Al, and tell me what Edward is up to."

"Well, from what I could see, Edward plans to celebrate today with you when he gets back."

"Oh. That's nice," I replied. A little disappointed that it wasn't something more exciting.

But...since we didn't eat and didn't drink, and he had already hunted; that only left...

_Oh._

"It has something to do with the day you arrived here," she added, watching my face carefully.

Following on from my previous train of thought I quickly recalled our first day in the cabin; I would be blushing profusely if I was still human, as it was I squirmed a little in my seat.

"Oh, Bella." Alice giggled, leaning towards me and whispering conspiratorially . "Edward's going to be a very dirty boy."

"Alice!" I yelled, smacking her on the arm, and she laughed even more at my shocked expression. I really hated to think just what she had seen.

"Relax, I'm kidding."

My face fell at her admission. I may not have wanted Alice to know what Edward had planned, but I was already looking forward to him being a _'very dirty boy'. _She took one look at my face and rushed to clarify. "What I meant is that yes, Edward does plan on being...well...you know. But I didn't see details. He just wants a repeat of your first day here."

My grin was huge as I remembered how we'd rushed in, dumped our belongings in the middle of the living room, and proceeded to christen every room in the place. Edward had been a little excited at having a place of our own; no-one listening, and more importantly, no thoughts for him to hear.

"Are you going to tell me what you two did exactly?" she asked, smirking.

"Like you don't know." I replied, looking at her pointedly. I had no doubt she'd seen it, the minute we'd decided to '_explore_' the whole cabin. When we'd eventually met up with her and Jasper later that night, she'd just asked if I'd had a nice afternoon and had given me a knowing look.

"Hmm...I may have an idea." she said, before staring off into the distance for a few seconds. "Anyway, the boys have decided to cut their hunting trip short and will be heading back in about fifteen minutes."

"Fuck!" I shrieked jumping up suddenly. "I need to go...um...you know...get ready..." I stumbled over my words as I tried for a graceful exit. I didn't want Alice to think I was running off to get ready for sex with Edward; which I totally was of course. I gave her a small wave and walked quickly back through the living room to the front door. I wanted to run, but that would be rude, and Alice would never let me live it down.

"You might want to change, Bella," Alice shouted as I let myself out. "Maybe it's time to finally try on what I bought you for Christmas last year!" I stumbled down the steps at the thought of the skimpy, black, lace _thing_ that Alice was referring to, and I heard her peal of laughter following me all the way home.

-oxo-

I raced through the forest that separated all the cabins, smiling widely as I thought about what Edward's reaction would be he when he saw me in Alice's present; if I could summon up the nerve to wear it. As I threw open the front door and raced upstairs, Alice's words echoed in my head.

"_Edward's going to be a very dirty boy."_

Fuck it! I was wearing the damn thing. If he was going to be a very dirty boy, the least I could do was dress like a very dirty girl. It was only fair.

I flung open the closet door, dragging over a stool so that I could reach the back of the shelf there. I'd quickly stuffed the offending item up there shortly after opening it, too embarrassed to actually put it on. To be honest, I'd forgotten it was there until Alice mentioned it. I ran my hands along the top until I located the box and pulled it towards me, dusted off the top a little as I pulled it down.

"There you are." I whispered as I grabbed it, before jumping down and walking out to my bedroom. I placed the unopened box on my bed and slowly got undressed, folding up my clothes and putting them carefully on the chair.

I lifted the lid and folded back the layers of tissue paper, before reaching inside and lifting out the scraps of material that constituted the underwear set that Alice had thoughtfully bought me last Christmas. Thank God she'd told me to open it on my own. I slipped on the panties, sighing in surprise as they felt soft and snug against my body.

The bra was next, fitting me perfectly and when I did a few twirls in front of the mirror, I couldn't help but grin. I looked hot. Damn hot. Even though the material was barely there, I looked classy and sexy as opposed to cheap and trashy. I ran my hands over the swell of my breasts, loving the smooth feel of the lace under my finger tips.

I heard the unmistakeable sounds of footfalls outside, followed by the opening and closing of the front door. I turned to look in the mirror again, and when I raised my eyes, there he stood.

_Edward. _

Looking slightly disheveled from hunting and no doubt racing Jasper through the forest. Snowflakes melted in his hair and I watched, mesmerized as tiny drips of water ran down the side of his face.

He stopped in the doorway, mouth open slightly as his eyes traveled the length of my body, taking in every inch of exposed skin. Even from here I could see his eyes darken and my stomach fluttered at the look of want on his face. When he licked his lips, the feeling spread up my spine making my skin tingle with anticipation. He stalked towards me, eyes never leaving mine in the mirror. I stayed perfectly still, watching intently as he got closer and closer until his hands were on me at last.

Soft fingers traced the length of my spine, feeling their way over the lace and skin. He dipped his head running his tongue across the tops of my shoulders, pausing to lick and nibble at the back of my neck.

"I like this," he whispered, his breath tickling the hairs on my skin. "Very much."

"I thought you might." I laughed softy.

His hands continued their exploration, smoothing their way down and over the curve of my ass, following the edge of my panties and allowing the barest touch of his fingertips on the inside of my thigh. I shivered, my breath catching as he brushed them over the soft material between my legs.

I hummed softly as he stroked them back and forth, pressing a little harder, but still not hard enough. My head dropped back onto his shoulder and I closed my eyes, enjoying the feel of his hands on me.

I grumbled when his fingers stopped their ministrations, and I felt him smile against my skin. He slid his hands up, round and under the material at the front, and my grumbling turned to moans as he dipped inside and touched my slick entrance, spreading the wetness around before slipping a finger inside.

"Oh..." I sighed softly, as he moved it in and out.

His other hand ghosted up my side to cup my breast, running his thumb over my nipple through the lace of my bra. I pushed into his touch needing more.

"As much as I like these, Bella." he said, kissing the side of my throat. "And believe me, I like them a lot." I tilted my head to the side, exposing the scar from where he'd bitten me, -just over a year ago-, and he gently ran his tongue over the mark, before placing a soft kiss there. "They need to come off."

Before I could answer, he scooped me up in his arms and carried me over to our bed, depositing me right in the middle. I giggled as he crawled toward me, nipping at my skin as he made his way up my body.

With a quick flick of his wrist, my panties became no more than torn scraps of lace and were tossed unceremoniously onto the floor, my bra joining them immediately after.

"Hey," I said in mock indignation. "Alice bought me those."

"She can buy you some more," he breathed, kissing along my hip bone. "I'm sure she already knew what was going to happen."

I tried not to think about Alice knowing such things, and as Edward's tongue traced lower and lower, I soon forgot about everything else except the feel of him between my legs.

He spread me open wide, arms hooked under my thighs as he held me in place.

"Oh God..." I cried as he circled his tongue around my clit before sliding just the tip inside me. He licked and sucked, thrusting his tongue all the way in, making me scream and writhe with need. I strained against him as he held me securely in place, the force of my fast-approaching orgasm urging my hips to buck in his hands. He hummed against me and I was gone, my body a shuddering mess as wave after wave of intense pleasure flowed through me, curling my toes and arching my back. My eyes squeezed shut and my fingers dug into the bed covers as I rode out the last of it, collapsing back on the bed with a smile.

I felt Edward shift on the bed and when I opened my eyes, he was there, hovering over me. He winked and I grinned, then he leaned down to kiss me and my body ignited all over again. His tongue met mine and I tasted myself in his mouth, moaning into the kiss as he lowered himself down until I could feel him, _there_.

He rolled his hips, pressing his cock against me so close to where I wanted him, but not close enough. I pushed up and spread my legs further, enticing him.

"I love you, Bella," he said, breaking the kiss and pulling back to look into my eyes. My breath caught at the depth of feeling there and I struggled to find my voice as I got lost in their depths.

"I love you too," I managed finally, reaching up to cup his cheek. "So much."

He kept his eyes on mine, as he slowly pushed all the way inside me. He paused, giving me a soft kiss on the lips before drawing back and slamming into me. Hard.

"Fuck!" I cried, throwing my head back onto the pillows and arching to meet him thrust for thrust. He grabbed hold of my thigh, anchoring me to him as he slammed into me again and again. My body was on fire everywhere we touched, the feel of him inside me, around me, driving me crazy and pushing me towards the edge all over again. His lips found my neck and I knew what he wanted without him having to ask. It was always the same, and I hoped it always would be. I turned me head to the side, smiling as his mouth closed around the bite mark again.

Three more hard thrusts and his teeth sank into my skin, marking me as his and sending us both over the edge. I screamed as he gripped me tightly against him, his body stilling as he pulsed inside me.

"Fuck, Bella." he cried, not letting me go. He licked over the wound, sealing it lovingly and I sighed as he lapped at it for far longer than strictly necessary. With one final swipe of his tongue, he propped himself up on his elbows and looked down at me, grinning. "Happy Anniversary."

"Thank you." I said, smiling happily up at him. "And thanks for my present." I wriggled my hips a little to show him what I meant, just in case he had any doubts. He laughed and leaned a little closer to whisper in my ear. "I'm not finished giving you your presents yet. There's still the living room, the kitchen, the stairs..."

I laughed out loud at that, grinning from ear to ear. It had been a year full of changes and learning experiences, some more pleasant than others, but I'd had Edward by my side throughout all of it and as I looked up him, I finally accepted that he would be by my side for ever more. He was mine and I was his. Today was our first anniversary and I intended spending it, and every single one after it, showing him just how much I loved him.

"So," he said, wiggling his eyebrows. "Which present do you want next?"

**The End**


End file.
